Sweet Mocha Chip
by Miracle of Miracles
Summary: AU Three close friends typically have to fight for respect from their socially superior peers. But when a new school year begins, can new encounters resolve old grudges?
1. Chapter 1

A seventeen-year-old, blonde-haired boy hopped onto one of the tables in a coffee shop. He brandished his drink above his head as he made his announcement. "A toast!" he began. "To all of us cool people who will rule the high school senior year, which begins TOMORROW!"

His friends, about ten of them and gathered around the table, cheered and raised their glasses. Fifteen feet away the noise reached the ears of one of the coffee shop employees; she grudgingly swiped a cleaning rag across the countertop, muttering to herself. It was the last day of summer vacation, which luckily meant the last day of her summer job. Today had been a quite slow day, excepting the crowd of older teenagers that had leeched in through the glass doors to celebrate their newfound supremacy. All of the other customers had politely left before it became overcrowded. Now, no one was entering the shop, so the two workers holding out behind the counter could relax.

The female employee went by the name of Raven Roth. She wasn't necessarily a people-person, excepting the times when she was with her closest friends. Raven undid the large barrette that clasped her purple tresses together at the back of her head, allowing her hair to fall just above her shoulders. "What time is it?" she asked her colleague dully.

"About two-thirty." Richard Grayson, one of her friends from school and neighbor, replied. "Don't worry, our shift will be over soon enough." He ran a hand through his already mussed black hair; on any normal occasion he would wear gloves, but now he wasn't to wear them because of the dress code. "Why are you always so eager to get out of here, anyway?"

Raven nodded towards the soon-to-be high school seniors. They were still whooping and cheering, trying to liven up their last day of freedom. "They're here almost every day, celebrating. It annoys me to no end."

Richard eyed the aforementioned crowd. "Nearly everything annoys you these days. Seriously, you can't seem to talk to other people without snapping at them."

"Which is why you do all the smiling and I make the drinks," Raven pointed out.

"You've been like this since ever since Kori left," Richard continued. He paused and looked at his purple-haired friend, raising an eyebrow. "Gosh, Raven…you couldn't be _pining, _could you?"

He caught a cleaning rag with his face.

"You know I'm not that kind of person."

"Heh. It was just a suggestion. And even if you _are _pining, Kori comes home today anyway." Richard wadded up the rag and tossed it playfully back at Raven, who let it fall on the floor. "It's probably good that she went to visit her relatives this summer. When she came to school last year she was given hell."

"Yeah," Raven agreed, reflecting on their freshman year. Kori Anders had come from Europe and tended to talk with a more formal manner than most others, which made her the victim of many practical jokes. Raven was glad that by now Kori had adjusted to her new environment quite well, and that the jokes had ceased.

"Hey, freshies!"

Raven and Richard turned to see one of the soon-to-be female seniors on the other side of the counter. "We're not freshmen," Richard retorted.

"Whatever, you were last year," she said, uncaring. "Hey, my friends and I were wondering…" She snickered. "…what's it like to be losers?"

"Funny. That's just what I was going to ask you," Raven answered without missing a beat. The senior sneered and slouched back to her table, upset that she had failed to achieve harassment.

Richard pretended to sigh in despair. "Raven, Raven, Raven. I just don't know what to do with you. Raven, Raven, Raven…"

"Dick, Dick, Dick…" Raven received a light-hearted swat over the head.

"You know, I have absolutely no problem with calling you 'Ray'."

"Whatever. It's not nearly as horrible as 'Dick'."

A shrill _ding_ rang through the shop as a bell announced someone's entry through the door. "Wonderful," Raven sighed. "Another customer."

"Yeah…" Richard smirked and pointed over her shoulder. "But you might want to see who it is."

Raven turned around and nearly jumped. Striding towards the two of them was Kori Anders, clad in a large purple hoodie and matching mid-thigh skirt. She was slightly more tanned than usual, but looked as cheerful as ever. "My friends!" she swooned, not noticing the seniors watching her carefully. "I have missed the both of you!" Her long red hair swished around her as she bounded around the counter to greet her friends. She swept Richard and Raven into an embrace and planted a light kiss on each of their foreheads.

"How was Europe, Kori?" Raven asked as soon as the redhead let her go.

"Quite wonderful," Kori replied. "I had a fabulous reunion with my grandparents. Though, I couldn't wait to return home! How have you two been doing?"

"Oh, you know, Richard here got us hired to work at an extremely popular coffee shop all summer. Other than that it hasn't been going too well, I'm afraid." Raven earned a quick glare from Richard, while Kori giggled.

"We're glad you're back," Richard added. "It's nice to have someone optimistic around here."

"Hey, whom exactly was that comment directed at?"

The teenaged boy smirked at Raven and looked at the clock. Three o'clock—their shift was over. "We should spend our last hours of vacation together. How about we head over to my house?" he inquired, untying his apron. The girls nodded, and Raven followed suit; she and Richard turned in their aprons, and set off out of the shop and down the sidewalk with Kori. Kori and Richard practically bounced all the way, laughing and trying to get Raven to join in; the purple-haired girl tried to suppress a smile and resisted her friends' antics…before they each grabbed one of her arms and ran the rest of the way.

**XXXXX**

A/N: This is just something that I've been considering for a while. Yep, finally jumping on the bandwagon and writing an AU fic…well, it was bound to happen, wasn't it? Again, when my computer access is restricted to weekends, I might be a tad bit slow when it comes to updates…but with enough encouragement I will continue. So, please tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Kori had taken to waking up with the sunrise. By half past seven she was already preparing her lunch for that afternoon. She folded thin slices of ham and placed them on a toasted piece of bread, and then dived into the refrigerator to search for her favorite sandwich toppings.

"Kori? What're you doing up so early?"

She turned to see her younger brother, slumping against the kitchen doorframe and still clad in his plaid pajama pants and oversized nightshirt. "What do you mean?" Kori answered coolly. "School starts in twenty minutes, Ryan." She checked the shelves on the inside of the refrigerator door. "Now, whatever could you have done with the mustard?"

Ryan blinked tiredly. "Uhhh…I recall putting it behind the red cabbage and tempeh, Kori." He looked down to examine his attire. "Perhaps I should change?"

"Perhaps you should, little brother." As Ryan ducked back into the hall she pushed aside the cabbage and tempeh to reach for the desired condiment.

**XXXXX**

Five minutes later Kori set out for school. Having a fondness for purple, she had dressed in a cheerful purple t-shirt and poncho with a modest pair of blue jeans. She met with Raven and Richard at the crosswalk at the corner across from Jump City High. Raven donned a large, navy blue hoodie and black jeans. She wore her hood up, despite the pleasantly warm weather, and the hem shaded her eyes and cast a shadow over her face. Robin had taken a cheerier approach to back-to-school wear; he was adorned in a green polo shirt and baggy blue jeans, with a pair of bright green gloves on his hands.

"Kori!" Richard waved for her to hurry up and join them. Next to him Raven slid her hands into her sweatshirt pocket. Kori ran the rest of the way, grinning widely.

"Hello, loves!" she giggled. The phrase that she had so-often used back when she visited her family earned her some odd looks from the passersby, though this didn't faze her in the least. "Raven, why is your hood up? Aren't you warm?"

"I like it that way," Raven replied. "Besides, this sweatshirt's a back-to-school present from Wallace. I might as well put it to good use, or else risk hurting his feelings." She rolled her eyes playfully at the mention of her adoptive brother.

"Of course," Richard said, smirking. "But at least let us see your face!" With that he whipped the hood back off her head, exposing her bright purple hair and large, dark eyes. The said eyes widened in surprise at the boy's sudden action.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Raven," Kori chuckled. She placed a finger under the shorter girl's chin and tilted Raven's head up to look at her. "That purple hair of yours is quite a sight to behold," she added.

Raven narrowed her eyes and stepped away, though she neglected to raise her hood again. When the traffic signals changed appropriately the trio crossed the street and were on school campus. They maneuvered their way through the crowds of students until they reached the office, where they got their schedules for the semester. Richard led the way outside, where they compared schedules.

"We all have French together," Kori pointed out. Raven nodded as she examined her agenda:

**1st: History, r. 33  
2nd: Algebra II, r. 17  
****3rd: French II, r. 4  
****break  
****4th: Poetry Workshop, r. 19  
****5th: English, r. 40  
****break  
****6th: PE, 48 (locker room)  
****7th: Music Theory, r. 42**

She noticed that she was also in the same class as Richard for History and English, and was with Kori for Music Theory. Richard and Kori were in the same math class for fourth period.

"This is great," Richard concluded. "Most of my classes are with you guys." Though he didn't like to admit it, he wasn't too fond of being alone.

The bell rang. "See you later, Kori!" Richard said. Kori grinned, and gave one last wave of her hand before she departed for her first class. Richard and Raven walked to room 33 together, quickly so as to beat the rush of students and so that they could sit next to each other in the back of the room.

Fortunately, they made it just in time, and as soon as they were seated the other students began to pour into the room. A boy with a mop of thick white hair sat directly in front of Raven. Richard looked at the large pile of books on the teacher's desk, just waiting to be passed out, and sighed.

Before long the teacher strode into the room. She looked as if to be in her mid-thirties; her hair was wound into a tight bun at the back of her head and she wore a black suit with a matching skirt. "Welcome, class," she began, standing in front of her desk, "to the tenth grade. My name is Mrs. Lenard."

She paused, as if she thought she was going to see some kind of reaction. Seeing none whatsoever, she continued.

"I've seen most of you around school last year, so I do not see that a tour is in order today. However, I need to spend this period passing out your books and locker numbers, which you will be using all year. Now, when I call your name, please come up to the front of the room and accept both of these items…" Mrs. Lenard proceeded to call the students up to the front of the room alphabetically.

When Richard returned to his seat with his book and locker number he turned to Raven. "What do you think about this teacher?" he asked.

"She wants us to love her, no doubt," Raven scoffed.

"Heh. Think that she'll send you to see the counselor this year?"

"I wouldn't be at all surprised."

"Raven?" Lenard's voice rang from the front of the room. "Raven Roth?"

Raven sighed, and slid out of her chair to retrieve her things.

**XXXXX**

First and second period went without much of a hitch for the three friends. They met the hallway and continued toward their French class, Kori and Richard barely listening to Raven's complaints about the Algebra II curriculum.

Richard noticed something on the opposite end of the hall and swiftly cut Raven off. "Hey, who's that?" Kori and Raven looked to see a small figure darting clumsily towards them; it was a freshman boy, with pale skin and a shock of bright green hair. Swinging his book bag behind him, he ran directly at the trio and surprised them by ducking behind Raven. "Please! Help me!" he squeaked.

"What are you hiding from?" Richard asked bemusedly.

"Quick! They're coming!"

The boy let out a short squeal of pain as Raven sharply backed into a wall. "Keep quiet," she hissed. Three large junior year boys lumbered down the hall.

"Freshie!" one of them called. "Freshie, get back here! You didn't let me finish what I had to say, you wuss…" They turned the corner; Raven took a step away from the wall and the boy she had been hiding stumbled forward, gasping for breath but at the same time looking quite relieved.

"Thank you!" he wheezed. "Thank you SO much…"

"What had you done to them?" Kori questioned worriedly.

"I, uh, kind of was in a hurry," the boy explained uneasily. "And, well, I was running and knocked into him and he dropped his books. Guess that kind of made him mad, huh?" He chuckled weakly, and turned to see that they were in front of room 4. "Ah! This is my next class."

"You're in French II?" Richard looked doubtful.

"Er, yeah. I started French in the seventh grade," the boy informed Richard sheepishly. "My name's Garfield. Garfield Logan. Are you guys in this class?"

"Yes, we are! You are welcome to sit by us if you wish," Kori giggled, reaching out a hand and ruffling Garfield's green hair. Garfield's face flushed.

"Uh, thanks," he said gratefully, and allowed Kori to grab his wrist and pull him into the French room so they could find a place to sit. Richard looked at Raven and grinned.

"It sure was nice of you to protect him," he said, smirking. "Could you possibly be in a good mood today?"

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing? He's just a kid…what else should I had done?"

Richard laughed lightly. "Come on, Raven. French class awaits." He held the door open for her and the two of them entered the room, finding places to sit by Kori and Garfield.

**XXXXX**

Their lunch break arrived rather quickly; Kori and Richard reported that their geometry class was very much boring, while Raven seemed rather pleased with Poetry Workshop. The three of them found a table in the cafeteria that was remote from the other tables, caught sight of Garfield, and beckoned him over to join them. Kori found Garfield's presence absolutely delightful, because she could sit next to him and play with his green locks as much as she wanted.

"What's that?" Garfield pointed to the thermos that Raven was withdrawing from her backpack.

"Herbal tea." She poured some of the steaming liquid into her cup.

"Hey, can I try some of it?"

Raven paused for a second, then held out the cup for him to take. "Go ahead. This could be terribly amusing."

Grinning, Garfield held the cup up to his lips and tipped the liquid into his mouth…and promptly handed the cup back to its owner, letting out a squeaky squeal of pain. "Ack! It's freaking hot!" He winced as he waited for the pain to pass. Meanwhile, Richard cackled loudly at the whole ordeal and Raven wore a winner's smirk. Kori handed Garfield the water bottle that he had gotten in the cafeteria line.

"Are you alright, Gar?" she asked. "Would you like some of my sandwich?" Kori took the said sandwich out of her lunch bag and presented it to the younger teenager, who saw the ham and politely declined.

"No thanks," Garfield said. "I'm a vegetarian." He eyed the other members of the group and waited for any of them to ask him why. When no one did, he decided to explain anyway. "I used to live in the country. My parents were really into horseback riding, so when I was little my dad would let me sit on his saddle with him and we would ride into the forest. Then, this one time, we stopped on this one trail to rest. I went to play and ran into this rattlesnake. But before it could bite me, my dad's horse came and kicked it away." He took another sip of water. "It wouldn't feel right to eat an animal if one had saved my life before."

"That makes plenty of sense," Kori said sympathetically, putting the sandwich away.

**XXXXX**

The school day ended at about four o'clock. Kori and Garfield went their separate ways home, while Richard and Raven walked back to their neighborhood. "We have nearly two hundred more days like this," Raven groaned.

"Today wasn't so bad," Richard insisted. "We're in some classes together…and my PE elective is pretty cool." He smiled at the mention of that particular class, where he had signed up for karate.

"It'll still be nice when we get it over with," Raven replied. They came to her house and she began to walk up the driveway. "See you in the morning, Richard."

"Bye, Raven."

**XXXXX**

A/N: I know that I didn't make Garfield have green skin, and I changed his story a bit. But alas, this is an AU fic, so I had to alter his story and looks a bit because in this story they are normal high school teenagers. I apologize if this disappoints anyone.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mother! Ryan! I am home!"

The door to the Anders household swung open as Kori returned from school. She furrowed her brow as she slid her house keys back into her book bag; the house was full of an unearthly silence. Remembering that her mother was working late that evening, Kori dropped her book bag onto the floor and kicked off her shoes. "Ryan!" she called again. "Ryan, are you home?"

He must be in his room… 

Kori bounced up the stairs. "Ryan, I wish that you would answer me! I know that middle school lets out before my school does, and I know that you are home!" She came to her brother's bedroom door and rapped on it with her knuckle. "Ryan, I command you to respond!"

Kori was becoming a bit worried; her brother had always greeted her when she came home from school. She waited for about fifteen seconds before she could hear a muffled response…

"All right, Kori…"

The door slowly swung open, and Kori found herself staring her brother in the eye. Her own eyes widened in horror. "Little brother!" she screamed, cupping her brother's face with her hands.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," Ryan said apologetically, wincing slightly at her touch. His right eye was blackened; it looked as if he had been punched. Below his eye two purple scratch marks stretched across his cheek. "I was cornered at school today…it was these two boys. They were calling me horrible names and punching me…"

"Ryan…" Kori blinked back her oncoming tears.

**XXXXX**

Many hours later morning dawned on Jump City. In a certain house there was a high school student who was not quite ready to face the day. He lay buried under a green comforter, on the top of a loft bed, having quite marvelous dreams indeed…

BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! 

Garfield Logan shifted under the blanket at the sound of his alarm clock. His eyelids fluttered as he woke up; he glanced down at his bedside table where the offending clock was. The time read 7:15.

"Urrrrgh…" Garfield shut his eyes again. _I can hang around a little while longer…school doesn't start until 7:50, _he reasoned. Suddenly his eyes blinked open again, and he re-checked the clock; now it read 7:40.

"WHAT? I fell asleep! I can't believe it!" The fourteen-year-old boy leapt off the loft and crashed feet first onto the floor. He practically flew to his closet, grabbed the first ensemble he could see, and quickly changed. Garfield snatched his backpack, ran downstairs, retrieved a granola bar from the kitchen, and rushed outside to get his bike and ride to school.

Luckily for Garfield, there was only a short distance between Jump City High and home, so he made it to school in the nick of time. He parked his bike in the bike cage and headed to his first period class: cooking. Garfield enjoyed working in the kitchen, especially with the ever-flexible food called tofu, which was why he had signed up for the class that accommodated his hobby.

Most of the students were already in the room. Garfield took a seat at a table near the front. The teacher was also present; his name was Mr. Closki, and flattered himself by sharing his vast experience with the students.

"All right, class," Mr. Closki began just after the bell rang. "Today we are starting our first project. Since I have explained the mechanics of the oven yesterday, this certain project should be fairly easy for all of you: we're making tacos. So. Will each table group send up one person to bring a tray with the needed ingredients to your table?"

Garfield was in a group with four other people, two of which were girls and the other two were boys. Without hesitation one of the girls got up and went to retrieve a tray. She returned shortly and her tablemates bent over the tray to see what they had to work with; the tray was piled with small plates of lettuce, tomato, tortillas, and, to Garfield's horror, chicken and beef.

"We have to put _meat _in our tacos?" Garfield exclaimed in disgust.

"Well, yeah. Everyone eats chicken," the girl said snidely.

"_I _don't," Garfield retorted indignantly. "I'm vegetarian. You know, it means that I _don't eat meat._"

"No wonder you're so skinny," one of the boys said indifferently. This earned some impish giggles from the girls.

"I _refuse _to cook anything with meat in it," Garfield spat.

"Quit being stupid," the boy scoffed. "The rest of us eat meat. Why should we have to do what you want us to do?"

"Fine," Garfield growled. "Eat as many dead carcasses as you want. I'm going to complain to Closki and set things right." He got out of his chair and trudged to the teacher's desk, where Mr. Closki sat supervising the students.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Logan?" Mr. Closki asked as Garfield approached.

"Yes, there's a problem! I'm a vegetarian, and you gave us all meat to put in our tacos."

The teacher narrowed his eyes at his student. "If you are considering becoming a chef, then you will have to learn how to cook things that you don't necessarily want to cook. And if you're going to have to cook these foods, you will need to know how. That is why we have this class."

"But I'm not _going _to be a chef," Garfield insisted. "Cooking is my hobby…it's just what I want to do."

"Yes, but not all of these students are like you," Mr. Closki countered irritably. "Most of my students need to learn these things. My only suggestion for you is to grin and bare it, because I need to cover these topics." He waited for Garfield to say something back, but saw that the teen had failed to think of a good comeback. "Go and help your teammates. Unless you would prefer an F for the day, of course."

Muttering to himself, Garfield slouched back to his table in defeat.

**XXXXX**

"For the next few weeks," Mrs. Lenard was telling her first period class, "we will be reviewing the Age of Religious Discord. We will start with the reformation, and continue from there. Now, I am sure that you all have covered the reformation before, in middle school perhaps?"

There were murmurs of agreement throughout the classroom.

"Very good. Now, if you will all take out your books and turn to page forty-four…"

Papers and backpacks were rustled as each of the students dug into their bags to retrieve their books. Raven slid her book onto her desk and accidentally knocked it into her pencil; it skidded across the desktop and flew onto the desk in front of her. Before she could say anything, the white-haired boy sitting in that particular desk picked up the pencil, turned around, and held it out for her to take. "Thanks," she muttered, taking the pencil.

"Don't let it happen again," the boy sneered.

Lenard's voice rang out from the front of the room. "Mr…Rorek Conte, is it? Please turn around and face the whiteboard. I will have no talking during my lesson, thank you very much." She went to the whiteboard and wrote the heading "REFORMATION THEOLOGY" with a thick black marker. Behind her back the boy called Rorek flicked out his right hand middle finger.

**XXXXX**

At lunch Kori met up with Garfield, Richard, and Raven at the same cafeteria table they had sat at the day before. "I cannot help but worry for Ryan," she informed them anxiously. "Those boys will undoubtedly be after him again."

"I'm sure that he'll handle it," Richard said reassuringly. "He's in the eighth grade now. He knows how to stand up for himself."

"That, I also have serious doubt for."

Raven interrupted by sliding a piece of paper onto the middle of the table. "It's only the second day and I've already been assigned my first Poetry project," she said distastefully. Her friends bent over the paper to read it:

**_Write a poem expressing your relationship with other people. Reflect on your emotional and mental reactions to being with friends, foes, and family._**

"This should be easy for you," Garfield chuckled. "I can imagine it… 'People: by Raven. I hate them all/They are very tall/Whenever I see a guy I like to kick him in the—'"

"Garfield, I have hot tea right here and I am certainly not afraid to use it."

"Shutting up."

"On a slightly more cheerful note," Richard laughed, "I'm considering trying out for the after school karate league. The coach is going to choose the best students in the class to come to competitions."

"I'm sure that you will get into the league with ease," Kori said, taking a tender sip from her lemon water. "You've been training for quite some time."

"I'll just have to hope that it pays off," Richard muttered nervously.

"Dudes, do you know what's the stupidest thing ever?" Garfield queried suddenly. "Closki is making me cook meat in my cooking class. I've already explained to him that I'm a veggie, but he won't take no for an answer! We had to make beef and chicken tacos today."

"Did you make them?" Richard asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah. What else could I have done? The guy's insane!"

"You could've made a complaint to the office," Raven deadpanned. "At least suggest that there be meat alternatives of some sort."

Garfield seemed to consider it for a second. "Yeah," he mused. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Tomorrow I'll report Closki…and if he doesn't do anything then I won't participate in any more projects! Ray, you're a genius!" Much to the purple-haired girl's dismay, he full-on glomped her. "You're my friend!"

"Please let go."

"Okay. Sorry."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning went well for only so long before a slight disruption in Lenard's history class.

"I'm not going to do it," Rorek said defiantly. Behind him Raven silently watched the entire ordeal; in front of Rorek stood Lenard, trying to get him to accept a geography worksheet.

"It's required, Mr. Conte," Lenard hissed. "You either do your work or you don't get a grade."

"This is all about geography, not history," Rorek pointed out. "You said we were covering the reformation. Why sidetrack us to an entirely different topic if we aren't going to be tested on it?"

"When I give you work I expect it to get done, no matter what it is," Lenard snapped furiously. She set the paper on Rorek's desk and slapped it down with her palm for good measure. "At the beginning of the year we need to review things so we don't forget. It's part of the curriculum, so take it or leave it."

"Leave it."

"Today I will not allow that to be an option." The bad-tempered teacher began to walk back to her desk at the front of the room. "And you can come in for after-school detention if you choose to continue with this attitude of yours."

While the students worked Lenard consulted her computer for more information on a certain arrogant white-haired kid. She sighed with exasperation; he had many blemishes on his record and had a history of being mind-blowingly horrible at, well, history. He seemed to fail at doing his work due to a lack of motivation.

_This kid needs some help…_

She closed Rorek Conte's file and scrolled down through the list of other students. _I can't do this alone…_ Lenard randomly chose a file and opened it to check on the student's success.

It was a pretty good choice. Within the file was listed the successes of this particular student:

- **straight As throughout both semesters  
**- **arrived on first day already with a good knowledge of world history  
**- **excellent study skills**

Lenard smiled to herself. This might work out after all.

She broke the silence in the classroom by calling out, "Miss Roth…could I see you at my desk, please?"

**XXXXX**

"You have to do _some _of the work," one of Garfield's male teammates snapped angrily. The students were to make lasagna, and while the rest of the group were layering the large noodles with a beef and vegetable concoction Garfield refused to participate. "It's not fair of you to stop working just because you have something against the teacher."

"It's not just that!" Garfield retorted. "Cooking meat is going completely against my beliefs. If he makes me make a meal of this mashed-up dead body then I'm going to report him to the school office."

"Yeah. You go ahead and do that," the other boy said sarcastically, drawing cackles from his friends. Garfield shot him a glare and sank down into his chair. He wasn't going to give up just because of peer pressure. He fought for a perfectly legitimate cause.

It's not fair…I loved that horse… 

"Mr. Logan!"

Garfield wheeled around in his seat to face a rather irritable Mr. Closki. "Yes sir?" he responded, voice dripping with distaste.

"I don't appreciate your lack of participation," Mr. Closki said. "If you refuse to be taught, then there will be consequences."

Garfield hesitated, before standing up and looking at his teacher sternly in the eye. "I don't eat murdered animals," he began slowly. "And I don't support them getting killed either. So, I'm sorry Mr. Closki, but I can't cook a dish with meat in it, no matter what the curriculum is."

_Geez. If looks could kill…_ Garfield was staring into the face of a quite miffed cooking teacher at this moment. All eyes were on the two of them now; they were the eyes of students eager to see the said consequences of Garfield's rebellion.

"All right, Mr. Logan," Mr. Closki seethed. "If you do not wish to learn in this classroom then you can take your studies elsewhere. Detention tomorrow at break, perhaps?"

Before Garfield knew it he was being handed a pink detention slip.

**XXXXX**

"I _hate _teachers."

At third period the foursome met in the French room. Raven viciously tore into her notebook as she searched for a clean piece of paper while she made her complaints. "Lenard is making me tutor that Rorek kid. And Mrs. Dilettante made my first poem due next week, which I have NO inspiration for whatsoever…"

"At least _you _didn't get detention," Garfield growled. "I have to stay in the detention hall tomorrow just because I wouldn't roast a dead animal." By now Raven had come to tolerate Garfield's presence, and she often contributed to the conversations that he had started…to poke at his intelligence and otherwise.

Nearby Richard and Kori were discussing their latest French lesson. "I am not doing as well as I would have hoped," Kori said worriedly. "My accent is quite hard to understand, and I am ever horrible when it comes to verbs…"

"You'll get the hang of it," Richard said, trying to soothe her of her worries. "It's only the beginning of the year."

At that moment Madame Aberdene entered the room. "Bonjour classe! Est-ce que chacun s'est rappelé de faire leur travail la nuit passée?" she asked cheerfully.

Kori prat-fell into her desk.

**XXXXX**

During the passing period between sixth and seventh Raven and Kori walked to their Music Theory class. On their way they stopped by at Kori's locker, so that the redhead could retrieve her books. "I'll meet you there," Raven had muttered as she kept walking to get to her own locker.

Kori leaned into her locker as she dug under a pile of textbooks and sweaters to find her MT textbook. As soon as she recovered it she closed her locker and turned around…to see a familiar looking junior boy standing before her. "Hey, aren't you that chick who talks weird?" the boy asked. He was considerably taller than her, Kori noticed. Behind him were two other boys who were about the same height.

"I've never responded to such a term," she snapped. "Though I do remember that you have terrorized a friend of mine. And, if you had any ounce of maturity at all, you would know when to stop."

All three of the boys chuckled nastily. "You're so gay," the one in front sneered.

"I get this coming from a teenager who insists on talking like a child in the sixth grade?" Kori shot back. Suddenly the boy lashed out and struck her on the shoulder, slamming her into the locker.

"If you're trying to insult me," the offending boy hissed, "it's not working. You'd best watch your back, idiot, because we're bigger and stronger than you. Consider that." He and his friends swaggered off, leaving Kori standing alone in the hallway with a flame of righteous fury burning inside her.

**XXXXX**

A/N: Victor will make an appearance in this story. Just not yet. :0P Oh, and for that sentence in French up there, it probably looks a bit screwy because I have never taken a French class in my life. And also because Babel Fish hasn't been known to my sister and I as completely reliable. Seriously, we tried to translate something out of Les Miserables and it came out something like "Must there be a kidney that is not whole…"

Oh, and I'd like to point out that I positively LOATHE the phrase "that's so gay". It's only in this story because it's how the character talks. I've never used that phrase to describe something in my life and never will.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day at break Garfield trudged to the detention hall with his pink slip in hand. He stopped in front of the door and his stomach dropped; the small window at the top of the door had a set of metal bars installed in it. It reminded him of a jail cell. He took a deep breath, and finally entered the room.

To Garfield's surprise, the teacher currently in charge was Madame Aberdene. He exhaled and quickly occupied the desk closest to the door.

"Welcome to detention, Mr. Logan," Madame Aberdene greeted stiffly. She certainly seemed to lose her normally kind nature when it came to dealing with detention students. "This is your first time?"

Garfield nodded.

"Then I advise that you make yourself comfortable, because you're going to be sitting in that chair for the next twenty-five minutes. No talking, no reading, no drawing, nothing. I will be sitting here, correcting these French assignments…" She turned to her desk and sighed despairingly; the aforementioned assignments weren't there. The French room was quite a distance from detention hall… "I trust that you will behave while I get the paperwork, Mr. Logan?"

Garfield nodded rapidly.

"And I don't want any trouble from you either, Jennifer."

Garfield looked around behind him; sitting in the far corner in the back of the room as a female figure that he had missed upon his arrival. She was clad in a black corset dress, fishnet tights, and a black hooded jacket with the zipper open. She had pulled the hood over her eyes, and on her feet was a pair of leather combat boots. Garfield heard the door click, announcing Madame Aberdene's exit. The corners of the girl's mouth flicked upward into a devilish smirk.

"Mr. Logan, is it? Welcome to my second home."

Garfield nearly jumped when he was addressed. "Uh…thanks. And, for the record, my friends call me Gar."

"All a pleasure, Gar. The name's technically Jennifer Diablo…but, to my friends, I'm called Jinx."

**XXXXX**

"Sigh!" Richard said dramatically. He, Raven, and Kori sat under a large shady tree in one of the outdoor hallways. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm starting to miss Gar now that I'm suddenly the only male in this outfit. Not that there's anything wrong with that," he added quickly.

"It's only for one break," Raven muttered. She held her notebook and pencil in hand, puzzling over a stanza in her poem. "He'll be back by next period, just like the rest, and chances are he won't learn his lesson."

"_You _were the one who suggested that he complain in the first place," Richard retaliated. "And aren't you supposed to be tutoring that Conte kid?"

"I never said that it was a bad thing. And no, the tutoring crap starts on Monday." Raven stared at her paper for a few seconds…before finally dotting an "i". "Kori, you're kind of quiet today. Are you feeling all right?"

Her red-haired companion sighed. "Yes…I am all right…" But she wasn't necessarily telling the truth.

**XXXXX**

"So, what did you do to get here?"

Garfield had moved to the desk in front of Jinx and sat backwards on the chair so that he could face her. The two were just beginning to get acquainted.

"I flipped off Miss Edwards," Jinx answered proudly. Garfield felt a little bit nervous; he knew that Miss Edwards was a junior grade teacher, and that he was now chatting up an older girl. "That got me this entire week for doing my time. An ideal way to kick off the new school year, if I do say so myself." She suddenly pulled her hood off her head. Garfield found himself face-to-face with a pale and pretty girl with long, pink bangs and braids. "What did you do?"

Garfield blinked. _I've gotta make this good…_ "I totally and completely defied my teacher," he said quickly. "Didn't do anything he told me to do."

"Ahhh." This seemed to satisfy her. "It feels good, doesn't it? I've disobeyed many superiors in my time. So, how big is this offense? How long are you in for?"

"Uh…just this break."

"Heh. You'll get the hang of it." Jinx leaned back in her chair. "You know what…" She picked up her book bag, withdrew a piece of paper and pencil, and scrawled something down before handing the paper to Garfield. "…Here's my email. I kind of like you. We should keep in touch."

Garfield's eyes widened in amazement as he accepted the precious scrap of paper. "…Thanks…hey, maybe I should give you mine…"

"Uh, I think you should go sit down now," Jinx interrupted. "Seriously. Aberdene should be here any minute now."

Garfield nodded and reluctantly returned to his seat. Indeed, just as he sat down the door swung open and in walked Madame Aberdene with an armful of papers. He turned around to get one last look at Jennifer "Jinx" Diablo; and though she had pulled her hood back over her head he could see her wink at him from under its hem.

**XXXXX**

A/N: I know that I've been updating a lot lately. It's because I'm trying to do as much as I can before school actually starts…which is probably why I should work a bit more on TOA… Sorry this is a bit short, anyway. I wrote it on the kitchen table on top of a Dog Fancy magazine while eating Pocky. Heehee.


	6. Chapter 6

About an hour later Garfield, Richard, and Kori met at their usual table during their lunch break. Raven had retired to the school library, which served as a more peaceful atmosphere for her when it came to completing her poem. Lately she had been having a horrible lack of inspiration, and needed to concentrate her creative energies into this project whenever possible.

"How was detention, Gar?" Richard asked, stirring a lump of cafeteria mashed potatoes with a plastic fork.

Garfield shrugged. "It wasn't all bad," he admitted. "I just had to sit there for about twenty-five minutes…oh, and there was this girl that I talked to while Madame was gone."

"Really?" Richard furrowed his brow. "Who was she? Do I know her?"

"Well, I dunno," Garfield said suavely. "Would you happen to know a one Jinx Diablo?"

There was a small, silent pause. "I believe that Raven did know her quite well at one point, did she not?" Kori asked Richard.

"Yeah. She did." He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through his hair. "They were friends, I think. The two of them would hang out occasionally, especially on the weekends. Then, they just stopped talking. I think they had a fight or something… Not that they're still on very bad terms now…which is kind of weird, considering that Raven isn't a very forgiving person…"

Garfield was hardly listening to what Richard was saying; he was too eager to announce the other news that he had brought with him. "Well, she gave me her email address," he said, head held high. "Which means she still wants to talk to me. Hell, she even said so herself."

"Just be careful," Richard cautioned. "From what I know about her, Jinx is very much a rebel."

"Hey, dude, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm planning on going to detention again." _At least, not any time soon, _Garfield added aside to himself.

**XXXXX**

Raven was speed-walking to the hallway where she was to meet with Kori; sixth period had just ended, and she was hurrying as fast as she could from PE so that Kori wouldn't be kept waiting. Kori saw her coming. "Raven! How was your PE class?"

"Running…is…pointless…"

Kori patted her on the head teasingly. "How did I know you were going to say something like that?"

"Stop…touching…my head…" Raven could hear her friend's dainty laugh in response. The purple-haired girl certainly was tired; the coach had gotten the bright idea to make the class run two miles.

"I'm sorry! At least now our next class is Music Theory, where we simply have to sit in our chairs and review things we have already know such as dynamics and…" Suddenly Kori let out a screech.

Raven looked up in horror as her friend collapsed to the floor. "Kori! You alright?" Raven bent down and offered a hand to help Kori up. The sound of someone chuckling came from nearby; the two girls looked and saw the junior boy, who Raven recognized for harassing Garfield and who Kori recognized for harassing herself. The boy retracted his foot, which he had used to trip an unsuspecting Kori. On each side of him were his two usual cronies. "Nice, Tom," the one on the right snickered.

The leader now known as Tom leered down at the two girls. "How's the view down there, loser?" he asked, directing the question at Kori. Tom turned around and left for his next class, his friends right behind him and congratulating him on his latest antic. Raven helped Kori up and narrowed her eyes.

"Was this the first time something like that's happened this year?"

"Raven, you shouldn't worry—"

"Kori! Tell me whether or not you've been harassed before today!"

"…Yes. It was yesterday."

Raven sighed. "You should stick with the rest of us as much as possible. I'd rather not have what happened last year happen again." She handed Kori her books (which she had dropped during her fall), and the two of them walked the rest of the way to room 42.

**XXXXX**

Richard returned home about ten minutes after school ended. Knowing that his father was still at work, he dropped his bag and shoes near the front door and went to check whatever message was left for him on the refrigerator door.

Sure enough, he found a note taped to the refrigerator for him:

_Richard,_

_Hope you had a nice day at school._

_Shouldn't be at work late tonight._

_Barbara's coming for dinner, please don't make a mess._

_Be sure to get your homework done and all that jazz._

_Love Dad_

Richard recognized Barbara to be his dad's new intern. His father worked in a dance studio and often choreographed some of Jump City's big house theatre shows. As for his mother, she had divorced Mr. Grayson a long time ago and moved to San Francisco. But working on so many production teams made a living, so Richard and his father lived a nice life with the entire house to themselves.

The teen decided that homework could wait; he had a try-out to train for. Richard quickly nipped into the basement and went to his punching bag, which hung in the corner. Pretending that it was just another opponent, he began his practice.

**XXXXX**

A/N: I know probably a bunch of people will read this and go WTF because of that little history bit I wrote about Richard. Can't say that I've seen something like that in other fanfictions very often, of course. I hope it's not too weird.  
Oh, and special thanks to Rose/Jackalobe for your great reviews. :0)


	7. Chapter 7

The first weekend of the school year came and went before anyone knew it. After only two days all of the students attending Jump City High stumbled back through the gates and headed to their first period classes.

A tall, blonde girl clad in a cheerleading uniform perched on one of the benches in the quad. She held a large stack of pink fliers. "Come one, come all, to the Homecoming Dance!" she cried, handing out fliers to anyone she could reach.

Below her standing on the ground was a blonde freshman girl, wearing matching attire and passing out the same fliers. "It's at eight o'clock on Friday night," she said hopefully, though earning a not-so-fond look from her elder standing above her. Richard and Raven walked by the scene, not even pausing to look up.

"Cheerleaders," Raven mumbled distastefully. "How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways…"

"Raven, mind that we only have five more minutes before class and not a decade," Richard interrupted, smirking. "Though we should go to that dance on Friday. It could be fun."

"Heh. Yeah, you can count me out."

"Raven, I command you to come with me and Garfield and Kori to the dance on Friday."

"Since when do you have that kind of authority over me?"

"Since I'm taller."

"Yep. You sure have me beat right there," Raven said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And you're not that much taller."

"I'm tall enough to say that I am! Come on, Raven…at least this one dance."

The two of them entered the building and approached their classroom.

"All right. I'll keep it in mind if you quit bugging me about it."

Richard grinned. "Good enough for me." They entered their history classroom and took their seats in the back.

Lenard arrived shortly after the bell sounded. "Good morning, class. Mr. Conte and Miss Roth, I expect to see you in here at break."

Neither of the two students mentioned bothered to respond.

"Everyone, we're starting on page 59 in your textbooks…"

**XXXXX**

Garfield gingerly placed the ground beef her had rolled into a tube shape onto a tortilla; this concoction was to become a taquito in the end. _Ugh, so gross,_ he though, wincing as he quickly tucked the meat under the tortilla to get it out of sight. _This feels so wrong…_

"Nice work." Mr. Closki was circulating around the room, inspecting the students' work. After complimenting the girl next to Garfield he peered over the green-haired boy's shoulder. "Quite exceptional, Mr. Logan. You've handled the ground beef excellently. Are you sure absolutely sure you haven't considered becoming a butcher?"

To Garfield, it felt as if part of him had died.

**XXXXX**

Approximately two hours later two students met at Mrs. Lenard's classroom door. They exchanged a glance, and entered the room.

The teacher eyed the two of them as they found seats near the front of the room. "Thank you for coming. I trust that you two will get some work done today?"

No answer.

Lenard gathered her bag and began to head out the door. "I'll let the both of you get started now. But, keep in mind, if I find anything out of place when I get back you can expect to stay in after school."

The students nodded sullenly and the teacher left.

Raven slid a history book out of her desk. "We left off on page…64, was it?"

Rorek said nothing. Raven disregarded his silence and turned to the aforementioned page in the text. She handed the book to the boy. "Read. You'll feel so much better when you accomplish something for once."

"Don't talk to me," Rorek barked suddenly. "If you think that you are influential enough to make me do those ridiculous assignments then you are mistaken."

"I'm not _trying_ to be influential," Raven countered angrily. "I'm _trying _to get this over with so I don't have to spend my free time with a random fellow student that I've barely known for a week. Now do me a favor, and learn something."

"I don't do favors." Rorek's eyes narrowed and the rest of his face contorted into a pissed-off snarl.

"I don't do arrogance. Read the damn book, or else I'm maim you."

"Some tutor you are. Resulting to violent threats." Rorek leaned back in chair and looked away from Raven, uncaring. For a moment there, the two of them were completely silent. In that moment of silence Raven just stared at him in frustration, wondering how to get through to this boy.

Finally, she spoke up: "Why in seven hells are you so unmotivated?"

Rorek turned to look at her again. "History just doesn't matter to me. It never has."

"Ah. How old are you, Rorek?"

"…Sixteen."

"Well! Who couldn't have seen something like that coming?" Raven rolled her eyes with exasperation, while Rorek glared defiantly. "This is high school, Rorek. Technically, our future has already started. Whatever happens now is going to influence us later. So, unless you want your later life to absolutely _suck_, you should do well while you can."

There was another pause. Rorek wasn't buying it…and he had to get this girl away somehow. "So, you're last name's Roth, is it?" he queried. "Doesn't that mean that you're the daughter--?"

He was cut off by the sound of Raven abruptly slamming the textbook closed. She locked her own glare with his. "You think you're _so_ perceptive, don't you?" she seethed. "And I have no _idea _what you're talking about." Raven grabbed her bag and stormed out of the classroom.

Breathing a victorious sigh, Rorek picked up his own bag and left the room as well.

**XXXXX**

Richard, Garfield, and Kori leaned against the trunk of the big tree. Garfield was entertaining his friends with his recount of what happened in cooking class when Raven came trudging briskly to join them. She sat down next to Richard with an ungraceful _plop _and dug into her bag, whipping out a novel and turning to a book-marked page. The other three peered around the tree trunk curiously, wondering what brought on this reclusive mood.

"Uh, Raven?" Garfield piped up cautiously. "Are you feeling okay…?"

"Where on earth did you get that idea?" Raven replied distractedly, not looking up from her book. "Of course I'm not pregnant, Garfield."

The green-haired boy stared for a while, and then leaned back against the tree with a groan. He would never understand women…


	8. Chapter 8

A few days went by, all of them routine and uneventful. Friday afternoon at lunch the group met at their usual table. Garfield spent the first few minutes raving angrily about cooking class…until the subject came to the upcoming homecoming dance.

"It's gonna be awesome!" he declared with certainty. "My first high school dance…"

"Why are you so excited?" Raven asked boredly. "Do you have a date?"

Garfield sweatdropped. "No-o-o-o…but c'mon! Staying up late, dancing the night away…aren't you looking forward to it?"

"Hardly. I'm being forced to go against my own will."

"Eh, you don't count anyway," Garfield said with a wave of his hand. "You don't get excited about anything. But I know that I'm going to get at least one girl to dance with me."

"Don't get your hopes up too soon," Richard suggested dryly.

Garfield smirked. "You underestimate me, Richard. All the times you're not around, the ladies are all over me in class! I am one of the most respected—" His speech was interrupted when a gob of mashed potatoes soared across the room and collided with his cheek with a _splat! _He slowly turned around to see a co-ed group of freshman students, laughing at one of the boys' antics. Richard sniggered, Kori leaned against Richard in giggles, and Raven turned her head down to conceal her smirk.

"Don't…say…a word," Garfield warned his friends, swiping the potatoes off his face.

**XXXXX**

Once Garfield returned home he consulted his closet for an appealing outfit. He was looking to make the dance worthwhile. Even as a sixth grader at his old middle school, he would be overcome by euphoria at the thought of spending a night without parental supervision with a bunch of fun-loving girls, contending for his affection (even though, unbeknownst to him, he was the one doing the contending).

Sure, euphoria tends to make one do crazy things. But who could resist?

He settled for a pair of khaki shorts and a green polo shirt. Satisfied, the teen nipped into the bathroom for a shower.

**XXXXX**

"You're going to the dance?" Wallace asked incredulously.

Raven sighed and stirred her tea with a spoon. She sat at the kitchen table, her adoptive brother hovering around her. "Yes, all right? My friends really want me to go with them for some reason."

"Okay, okay." Wallace held his hands up in defense. "But it's so unlike you."

"Feh."

"Are you going to dress up?"

"Wallace, you know that's just about as likely as me getting an account on Neopets." Raven picked up her teacup. "I need to go meditate. I'd better be in a good state of mind tonight for…you know…safety reasons." She got up and left the room, leaving Wallace to mutter to himself about various unintelligible things.

Raven opened her bedroom door; the décor mostly consisted of a calm, light grey color on the walls, excepting this one corner in the back of the room where white paint stretched out about five feet on each side. She had three large bookshelves lining one wall, decorated with a collection of gargoyle figurines. Her bed was to the left, with a small dresser at the head.

Raven set her teacup on her bedside table. She proceeded to withdraw a few scented candles from her drawer and light them, before pulling out a small blue mat and setting it in the white corner. She sat down on the mat, legs folded neatly under her, faced the wall, and started to meditate.

**XXXXX**

Kori kneeled on the mattress on her bed. Across the room was a long mirror held onto the closed door. She stared at it, her eye's green gaze penetrating hard into those of her reflections'. A quickly glance at the clock on the wall told her that it was five past seven. In less than an hour she would be headed to the dance. The homecoming dance…the very first dance of the year…and everyone from school would be there. Including Tom.

It would be far too easy to lose sight of the group on the crowded dance floor and be cornered. She would have to stay with her friends as long as possible…

**XXXXX**

Approximately fifty-five minutes later Richard stood in line for the admittance through the doors of the school gym. Ahead of him was a long queue of students, yammering on excitedly as they yearned to start their first after-school event. Richard scanned the campus, searching for any sign of his own friends, a.k.a. the ones with a mental capacity…

Suddenly a large male form came barreling at him. Thinking quickly, the teen dodged the possible blow and turned to see a senior boy crashing into some of his cronies; buffoonish guffaws echoed through the air, as a lot of people in the general area seemed to find this kind of bodily harm amusing. Richard scoffed silently to himself, and continued to be on the lookout for his friends.

Luckily, just as the line started to let up and the students began to enter the gym, a familiar green-haired freshman boy bounded up to join him. "Hey Richard!" Garfield chortled, screeching to a stop right before the older male.

"Hey Gar," Richard responded, smiling.

"Isn't this so sweet?" Garfield inquired joyfully. He was clearly excited. "So Rich, you've been to one of these dances, right? What can you tell me about it? I need to know what's in store for me tonight!" He smoothed back his hair in what he probably supposed to be a suave kind of manner.

"Uhh…" Actually, it was just a dance. If you've been to one of them, you've been to them all.

At that moment two more familiar figures approached, one of which was more enthusiastic that the other. "Richard! Garfield!" Kori called, taking hold of Raven's sweater sleeve and pulling her along the rest of the way. "So glad that we've managed to get in line with you!" The four of them were getting closer to the gym doors by the second.

"Hey guys," Raven greeted monotonously.

"Hi Raven." Richard couldn't help but smirk at how Raven clearly wasn't planning on enjoying herself that night.

Just then the door monitor called for their tickets, and the four of them were quickly swept into the gym.

**XXXXX**

Loud music throbbed through the gym and met the ears of the four teens as soon as they stepped inside. All of the bleachers had been folded neatly into the walls, giving the room more space. At the far back a stage had been set up, where a DJ monitored the music and all the while continued to rile the crowd up. The students kept on pouring into the confined space, and the air became quite humid within minutes.

Garfield could practically _smell _the excitement. He breathed in deeply, absorbing it through his nostrils. Then he turned, and bowed comically before Raven. "Miss Raven, would you care to dance?" he asked, pretending to be pompous.

"No," came her reply. Raven's hair wasn't to be let down.

"Suit yourself." Garfield shrugged and turned to Kori, offering a hand. "Mademoiselle Kori Anders?"

The redhead snickered and accepted; the younger boy led her to closer to the middle of the dance floor and they quickly blended in with the rest of the students as they danced casually.

Richard and Raven held back and they watched their friends kick the night off. "Sure you don't want to dance at all?" Richard asked.

"Quite sure," Raven answered. She tugged at the collar of her sweater; the humidity was already unbearable. "Sure, I'll stick around for the most part. But you know how people lose control at these kinds of things. I don't want to come undone."

"Raven, it's not like we're at a rave or anything—"

"That doesn't stop most people," Raven interrupted, gesturing at a nearby group of students their age. Richard turned to look and gulped uncomfortably at the sight of their dance moves.

"You know what, maybe you have something of a point…"

**XXXXX**

A car pulled into the school parking lot. As soon as the headlights dimmed a tall youth stepped out of the drivers' seat. The figure turned its head at the sound of the pumping music only twenty feet away in a large gym. Sighing, it slammed the car door and headed for the office, a light stack of papers in hand.

**XXXXX**

Raven groaned in disbelief. Only feet in front of her were her three friends; Richard had joined Kori and Garfield after about a half hour, and was now dancing alongside them…well, at least trying to.

"Richard, if you want an honest opinion, then I have to tell you that you're making a fool of yourself."

"What if I didn't want an honest opinion?" Richard continued to dance as how he was, making odd motions with his arms and stepping unsteadily with his feet. Garfield and Kori had to pull over for a while, turning away and covering their mouths in attempts to conceal their laughter.

Pretty soon Richard noticed that his friends had dropped out. He stopped moving and sighed. "All right, I can take a point…" A rush of pink tinted his cheeks as Garfield and Kori let loose their giggles.

When Garfield's chuckles subsided he proposed, "Does anyone want some punch? I'm going to get some—I need to try out everything there is before the night's over…" He suddenly trailed off and did a double take. There was something standing over the pink punch bowl at the table several yards behind Kori that caught his eye. He found himself in a locked stare with the something, until Richard interrupted his thoughts.

"Nah, I don't think I'll have any. Besides, I've heard that they found the stuff in a box that someone anonymously left in front of the office door…no _way _am I touching any of it."

"Yes, I think I will also pass," Kori added.

"Same here," Raven replied.

Richard shot her a teasing glance. "Still afraid of coming undone, Ray?" This earned a glower and forced an apologetic grin out of him.

Garfield blinked and grinned again. "All right. I'll…be right back." He gave a parting wave and ducked into the crowd, pushing his way through the mob of people until he reached the punch table. Resting his elbows on the table and raising a "sexy" eyebrow, he asked, "Did you call?"

Jinx smirked.

**XXXXX**

"I…have _never _smoked before."

Garfield and Jinx sat on the short wall surrounding a tree outside of the gym and parallel to the parking lot. Garfield noticed that Jinx didn't take a sip of her punch and looked at her with mock shock. "You've never smoked, Jinx?"

"What, do you take me for a crazy person?" the pink-haired girl chuckled. "That stuff kills you, kid."

Garfield tried to find a way to fight on the oncoming blush; why did she call him "kid"? Did he act too young? "Yeah…I know that…"

She continued with their spin-off of the drinking game. "I've never driven a car before."

"What, and you think I have? I'm only fourteen." Garfield instantly wish he hadn't said that. He must've sounded really childish. "Ahem…aren't you old enough to get your license, though?"

"Yeah, but when I took the test I came _this _close to running over the instructor." Jinx held her hands a few inches apart for emphasis.

"But…wasn't he in the car?"

"Well, he was supposed to be…but that's just another reason why I'm not allowed on the roads."

They snickered.

Garfield turned his gaze towards the parking lot. "Hey…speaking of cars…!" He pointed at a nearby car that had immediately caught his attention. Jinx looked in the direction that he was pointing, and saw a nice-looking, medium-sized car with two-row seats; it was a metallic white color, brightly streaked with a dash of blue on each side over the doors.

"Pretty nice," Jinx agreed. She looked back to face Garfield and saw that he was already running to the car's side. She abandoned her punch and went to join him.

" 'Pretty nice'?" Garfield gasped. "This is just about the sweetest ride I've ever laid eyes on!" He examined the exterior closely. "I've never seen anything like it. The design is so unique…maybe it's not a model from around here?"

"Hey, Veggie Boy—none of the models in this parking lot come from around here. We export half our lives from Japan, remember?"

Garfield sweatdropped and lowered his head to hide his blooming complexion. From that angle he noticed something through the window in the car door…

_The car was unlocked. _Whoever owned it had forgotten to lock it when they left.

Hmm…maybe he could possibly make up for his childishness if he just…

Garfield looked around; he and Jinx were the only people outside. Grasping the door handle, he opened the door a crack with a flick of his wrist. He'd braced himself for an alarm, but when there was no sound he relaxed and opened the door the rest of the way. Garfield peered inside. Jackpot; the keys were set carelessly on the dashboard.

"Uhh…" Jinx watched nervously as Garfield slid comfortably into the driver's seat. "Logan, what're you doing?"

"I'm just having a look-see," Garfield replied as coolly as he could. He rested one hand on the steering wheel and picked up the keys in the other.

"Logan, I don't think you should--!"

"I'm sure whoever it is wouldn't mind if I took a little spin around the parking lot," Garfield assured her, before he slammed the car door and fumbled with the keys and the ignition. _C'mon, Gar…you've seen your parents do this before…_

Jinx's eyes widened. "No! You don't know how to drive! If you're trying to be cool then you're just being a dickhead! I'm serious, Logan, get out of the car!"

She peered through the glass and was horrified to see Garfield slide the keys into place.

"NO! Logan, you're going to get yourself KILLED!" Jinx panicked. She beat her fists on the window wildly. "I'll break you out if I have to! Just get the hell out of that ca--!"

Suddenly the car took off, leaving the bare air under her fists. Jinx froze in terror as she watched the car speed away—straight toward a concrete lamppost. A sickening _crunch _was heard when metal connected with rock. Jinx's heart skipped a beat as the post swayed, before luckily standing straight again.

"Holy fuck!" Jinx found her voice and sprinted to the car. "Holy fuck, holy fuck…Logan! Logan, can you hear me?"

The hood and front bumper were damaged. She frantically opened the door, coming to see a pale Garfield; he stared straight ahead, eyes wide, and knuckles white from clenching the steering wheel.

"Oh no, oh no oh no oh no oh no…" Jinx looked around. She needed to get help, but everyone was inside. She would have to go to the dance in the gym…and find a few people that she already had in mind.

**XXXXX**

Jinx burst into the gym. The darkness assaulted her eyes immediately, but as soon as her sight adjusted she began to search frantically for the people she wanted.

No later than a minute did she find them. They stood in a circle, backs to her. "Hey!" she cried. None of them looked up; it was too loud with all the other teens dancing and singing. Jinx needed to get their attention somehow…and so she initiated the first crazy plan that was thought up.

Jinx tapped one of their shoulders. "May I have this dance?"

The person turned around. "No, I don't—auh!"

Jinx grabbed the chosen one's wrists and began to waltz noticeably toward the door.

"Jinx, you bastard! Have you gone mad?" Her dance partner was protesting quite aggressively.

"We need to talk!" Jinx shot back.

"Yeah, I'll bet…"

"I'm fucking serious!"

"Then stop dancing and tell me what you need to tell me! We're already getting odd looks." Raven wrenched her wrists free from Jinx's grasp. "No what is it? And make it quick, the dance is ending soon…"

"Look, there's this friend of mine who's crashed a car in the parking lot!"

"I didn't know you had friends," Raven scoffed. She turned around to walk away.

"I've seen you with him! Don't you know Gar Logan?" Jinx cried desperately.

Raven wheeled around so quickly she cuffed a freshman boy over the head with her arm; he fell against the wall and grabbed a streamer for support, causing half the decorations on that particular wall to be ripped free and to fall in shreds to the floor. "WHAT!"

Just then Richard and Kori rushed to the scene. "Jinx, what're you doing?" Kori hissed.

"Leave her alone!" Richard snapped. Then he caught the uncharacteristically worried look on Raven's face. "Raven, what…?"

"It's Garfield!" Jinx blurted. "He's just crashed a car…outside…we have to get him out of there! He's not moving!"

Without hesitation, they ran out of the gym, Jinx and Raven in the lead.

**XXXXX**

"He's in shock," Richard muttered. He and Kori had managed to pry Garfield's grip off of the wheel and carried him to the pavement. He'd laid the boy on the ground, kneeling over him.

"Will he be all right?" Jinx asked, with a look of true concern.

"Miraculously," Richard answered, "he isn't suffering from any bad injuries. Just some bruises…" He cut himself off when Garfield gave an involuntary twitch. The younger boy gave a groan and blinked. The other four gave sighs of relief.

"As much as I hate to say this," Raven began, "I don't want to leave him to get caught. He's only just started high school…it'd be horrible if he got his first permanent record mark during the second week…"

"Yes, I would have to agree," Kori muttered sullenly. "We should help him get home right away…"

"Guys…what'm I doing on the ground…"

"Don't worry about it, Gar."

As Kori and Richard were helping Garfield to his feet, Raven looked Jinx in the eye. "Thank you," she mumbled. "Thanks for helping our friend."

Jinx gave a weak smile. "It's no problem. He's my friend, too."

"Yeah." Raven nodded. "And, well…even though we've had our differences and all…you might want to know that, if you're free at lunch, we're always at that cafeteria table in the far corner."

The two of them shared a smile for the first time in a long time. They assisted their friends in propping Garfield up and guiding him down the sidewalk. Jinx took the boy's left arm and coaxed him to take easy steps. She felt an alien, yet nice feeling…a new feeling of contentment and belonging.

And she was there to stay.

**XXXXX**

A/N: That was the longest chapter in the story so far. Sorry for the wait! Please review, as usual. :0)  
And in case you're wondering, the fic isn't over yet. I mean, there's still Victor that I need to introduce…and actually quite a few more people…so I'll work on/post the next chapters ASAP, okay:0)


	9. Chapter 9

"HAAA!"

The punching bag took another beating. It flew backwards, slapping the back wall and swinging back at its attacker in retaliation. Richard easily deflected it with a block of his wrist, sending the bag back to square one.

He had been up and active since five in the morning. It was a before-school routine for the young teenager to release his extra energy via his favorite sport. Beads of sweat rose on his brow and forearms, trailing down his skin as he continued to exert his muscles.

Panting, he turned his attention to the clock on the wall (which he once had to move farther away from his practicing corner, due to a punching bag mishap). It was nearly six thirty…time to change out of his sweaty gym clothes and take a long shower.

**XXXXX**

At seven thirty Raven stumbled downstairs with her bag slung over her shoulder. "Raven, would you like something for breakfast to take with you?" Mrs. West asked as the girl passed her, just like any concerned mother.

"No thank you, Emma," Raven responded quickly. "I need to be on time to meet Richard. But thanks for the offer!" She slid on her shoes and exited the house.

Raven trudged down the sidewalk with her hands shoved deep into the kangaroo pocket of her sweatshirt. _Wally's mom worries about me so much,_ she though, staring down at the cracks in the sidewalk as she walked. _I wish she wouldn't. She doesn't have to anymore…_Her thoughts were put on pause as a very mobile punkster suddenly sped in front of her.

"Miss me, Ray?" Jinx asked cheerfully, circling her friend on a pair of roller skates with hot pink wheels and skirt fluttering around her.

Raven watched the pink-haired girl bemusedly. "Jennifer, what…?"

"You forgot that I lived nearby, didn't you?" Jinx chuckled, stopping to stand on Raven's right-hand side. She pretended to pout. "I thought that now that we're on speaking terms we could walk to school like how we used to. Am I coming on too fast or something?"

Raven blinked. "No! Actually, it's okay…just…"

"Just what?" Now Jinx sincerely looked a bit disappointed.

Raven herself was wondering why it should be a problem. "…how was your weekend, Jennifer?"

"_Please, _call me Jinx!" Jinx insisted, beginning to skate backwards down the street so as Raven would have to keep up with her. "And, my weekend was just fine. Pure, uneventful laziness."

"Ah, that's good," Raven muttered, quickening the pace. The two turned a corner; Jinx didn't waver a bit on the swerve, as if she had memorized the road by heart. "We're meeting Richard at the street corner. Just so you know."

Her comrade simply nodded and continued to skate backwards in a carefree manner. "How's Logan?"

"He called me on Saturday…said that he couldn't wait for Monday." Raven shook her head. "He was so goddamn irresponsible in the first place. And then he goes and crashes a car, right before checking in to say that he can't wait to return to the crime scene. I'll never understand that twerp."

"You don't have to. His kind is born not to make sense."

" 'His kind?'"

"Males," Jinx clarified hastily. "I wouldn't blame him for his actions, however. I think I made him nervous."

"I'm not surprised. You're a complete loon."

"Not like _that!_ I remember clearly that he was trying to chat me up in detention. Went all pale when I gave him my email address."

"Wait…you think that he _likes _you?"

"Duh."

"And you have no problem with that whatsoever."

"Should I?"

"Well, apart from the fact that he's a testosterone-charged freshman, he fancies himself as a ladies man, his hair is annoyingly green and you're two years older than him, I suppose not."

"Awww." Jinx winked. "Are you jealous?"

"…Great. You almost made me throw up in my mouth."

Jinx threw her head back and laughed. "Ah look, there's the other boy wonder over at the crosswalk. Wait for us!" she called to Richard, grabbing Raven's arm and allowing her roller blades to freely speed downhill.

**XXXXX**

"Kittennnn! You need to answer my question!"

Behind the door of the locker, the face of Kitten Walker contorted into an annoyed snarl. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she forced a smile and closed her locker, coming face-to-face with a perky 'n' short brunette freshman girl. "I'll do what I can," she said, grinning painfully, "but you have to try out for the squad just like everyone else, mmkay?"

The girl nodded happily. "Mmkay!" she giggled, madly attempting to copy Kitten's style. "But I should warn you, I have a real good show for the tryouts! Hehe, TTFN!" The girl flounced away. Kitten hit her head against her locker and whipped out her cell phone. Speedily dialing a number she had gotten used to dialing over the past two weeks, she pressed it to her ear and, after it was picked up at the first ring, hissed, "SARA! We have another signup for the cheerleading tryouts!"

"My name's Tara—"

"Whatever. Just because our moms know each other doesn't mean I have to remember your name." Kitten twirled a lock of blonde hair around her index finger and smiled prettily at a passing group of senior boys.

**XXXXX**

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be tutoring that Rorek guy?" Garfield asked Raven around the tree trunk at break.

"I had a nice chat with Lenard and got out of it," Raven replied stiffly, not looking up once from her novel.

"Heh. I would've done the same thing. Man, is that guy creepy!" When she didn't dignify that with a response, Garfield turned to Jinx and whispered, "Dude, what's she giving me the silent treatment for?"

"I dunno," Jinx said, smirking, "maybe it has to do something with a hit-and-run?"

"Why would she still be angry about that?"

"Whenever I did something irresponsible she wouldn't talk to me either," Jinx sighed. "Trust me, it could be a lot worse."

"Guys, I'm right here," came Raven's irritated voice from the other side of the tree.

"Sorry."

Meanwhile, Kori struggled with her MT homework, which she was trying to finish before seventh period. "So…the harmonic pair is C-flat and B? Which means that B-sharp is C, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right." Richard nodded encouragingly.

Relieved, Kori sighed and pretended to bang her head against the tree. "Is there some kind of music dyslexia that I'm not aware of? Because if there is, I probably have it." She despised MT homework. In face, she despised homework in general.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Richard scolded, poking her. "It's only the beginning of the year. You'll have it down pat in no time."

Kori smiled; that was Richard, ever the friend and optimist. "Thank you for helping me, Richard. Miss Tremolo is moving pretty fast for the first year…" Inwardly she wished that she had started the course the year before—she and her friends had been so excited about high school as freshmen that they had forgotten to sign up for classes with music credits for college. Now they had to start as sophomores and stick with it for two years.

"Come to think of it, I need help with my French homework," Garfield realized. "Jinx, you're a junior…you have one more years' experience than I do…can you help a little?"

"Sorry, Logan. I take German."

"What? Why would you want to take German?"

Jinx cleared her throat. "_Guten tag, Garfield! Wie gehts? Sie ist zu klein._"

Garfield looked dumbfounded.

"That's why," Jinx supplied for him, while she and everyone else but Garfield smirked.

**XXXXX**

A few hours later, Kori and Ryan sat at the kitchen table while their mother poured cups of an exotic tea for them. Kori lifted the cup to her lips and inhaled the fragrance and flavor deeply. "Thank you, Mother."

"Your welcome, dear." Luann Anders pulled out a chair and faced her offspring. "You may remember that your father and I are going on a business trip for a week starting tomorrow?" She and her husband Mort were the heads of a computer technology business, the headquarters of which was located in Europe.

Kori and Ryan nodded.

"Well…at the last minute, Mr. Galfore has become unable to look over the house while your father and I are away."

Kori nodded understandingly. "I could look after the house, Mother…."

Luann waved a hand to cut her off. "You shan't worry about that, Kori. I've managed to get hold of your elder sister, and she's agreed to watch after the two of you."

Kori stared into her tea in deep thought. Her mother meant Konni…? She hadn't seen her in _years…_

**XXXXX**

A/N: I'm going to try my best to update as much as possible. Anyway, here's this week's addition to the story. Sadly, I've heard that we're not allowed to reply to reviews…but I'd like the thank those who have stayed with me so far. :0)


	10. Chapter 10

_The festivities have only just begun and we've already had our first felony._

_Only minutes before the Homecoming Dance ended, the car owned by one Victor Stone was found crashed at the foot of a light post in the student parking lot. Stone had been turning in his last enrollment papers at the school office when the crash occurred and returned to see his ride severely damaged with the drivers' door ajar._

_"To be honest, the welcoming committee could use a different approach," Stone, 17, joked dryly. "But hey. I'm in auto shop…consider this my first project."_

_School officials are very intent on catching the culprit. Some Jump City High students are hoping for the best. "I have complete faith in the officials on the job," former student body vice-president Roy Harper, also 17, assures. "I trust that all persons involved in this mishap will face the consequences and the rest of us will see justice in this situation soon enough."_

Raven glared impatiently as Garfield finished reading the article in the school newspaper that she had slapped into his hands as soon as he'd joined the rest of the group at school the next morning. "Well? Still feeling proud of yourself? You've just made the front page of the first school newspaper of the year in the worst possible way."

"Please, Raven…" Kori sighed.

Garfield gulped as he stared at the large picture of the now broken white and blue car, just below the heading "SMASHING KICK-OFF TO THE NEW YEAR STARTS AT HOMECOMING DANCE." "Hehehe…I guess it would be safe to say that I'd hate to meet this Victor guy, huh?"

"Just keep a low profile, Gar," Richard muttered wearily. "People are out looking for you now."

"Not only you. They're looking for everyone else involved as well," Raven seethed. "Which just happens to be the rest of us."

"Go easy on him," Jinx urged calmly, as if Garfield wasn't there. "He'll learn soon enough…"

"Yeah, as soon as he can bring the dinosaurs back to life…"

The bell rang just then, and they all went their separate ways.

**XXXXX**

As usual, Richard and Raven were among the first to reach their classroom. They watched boredly as the other students filed through the doorway and to their seats. "Wallace got rejected by another college yesterday," Raven murmured monotonously. "That's the third time so far. He's just about to give up."

"Make sure he keeps trying," Richard advised. "I'd hate to see him quit so soon…"

Their conversation was interrupted by Rorek's arrival when he swaggered to their desks with the first edition of the school newspaper in hand. "Hey, Miss _Roth,_" Rorek sneered, putting emphasis on Raven's last name. "Seems that someone took a car for a spin the other day. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Raven glared dangerously up at the white-haired boy. Richard eyed the two of them warily, prepared to subdue anyone when needed.

"Maybe you got mad at someone while you were behind the wheel? Put the pedal to the metal and tried to run them into the ground? I myself haven't heard anything about dead bodies yet, but talk about anger management issues, Roth…"

Raven's palms slammed loudly onto the wooden desktop as the abruptly got to her feet. "_Shut. Up,_" she hissed through her teeth, locking eyes with the opponent.

"What will you do if I don't? Kill me?"

"You know nothing about me!"

"I know enough to know that you're psychotic by nature," Rorek retorted. Raven's eyes blazed…

"Raven," Richard chided. "Just ignore him, he's not worth it…"

The glaring match between Raven and Rorek didn't cease for a few seconds. Finally, Raven's eyes slid closed as she slowly inhaled meditatively, and sank back into her chair. "Leave me alone, Conte." Satisfied, Rorek turned his back to the two of them and sat at his own desk, just as Lenard entered the room and started the lesson.

**XXXXX**

"Class, we have anew student joining us," Mr. Closki announced. He stood at the front of the room as all the students looked up from their kitchens. Next to Mr. Closki stood a tall, burly male with a chocolate tone to his skin. "You may recall that he would've been here yesterday, but was excused due to a 'loss in the family?'" The boy looked both annoyed and uncomfortable at the teacher's insensitivities.

Actually, Garfield couldn't remember any announcements of the sort. He slapped a pad of butter on the frying pan he was preparing as Closki continued:

"This is Mr. Victor Stone. How about you join kitchen two over there, Victor? The one with the green-haired boy?"

Garfield nearly prat-fell face-first into the frying pan. He sweatdropped nervously as the tall boy lumbered to his station. Victor seemed to be a senior. His head was smooth and bald; clad in a baggy electric blue t-shirt and blue jeans; he also had a single silver band on his left index finger. "What're we making here?" was the first thing Victor said, quite calmly as he examined the assortment of vegetables that would soon be used to top garlic bread. "He hasn't started you guys on the meat yet?" he asked. All of the other team members, younger and nervous under Victor's towering height, weren't sure of whether to respond. Finally one of the boys responded with, "Yeah, he has…we're just not doing that today…"

Victor shrugged indifferently and stood before the stove, next to Garfield. "Nice hair."

Garfield nearly choked on air. "Th-thanks…you too…"

Victor looked at him weirdly. "Ye-e-e-a-a-ah…"

"S-so, you were the one whose car got crashed?" If they were going to make amends, Garfield figured, they might as well start before Victor even knew what happened.

"Yeah. 'S not a big deal. I'm taking it into auto shop so I can fix it. Besides, I built it myself in the first place."

"Honestly? You built your own car?" Now Garfield knew why he'd never seen that model before—it was a one-of-a-kind.

"Well, my dad helped a lot. He knows a lot about mechanics—and it also helps to be in a high math class. Your butter's popping."

"Wha…?" A speck of butter leapt at his hand from the pan as it sizzled violently. "Yikes!" Garfield quickly tossed in some vegetables and stirred it gently with a wooden spoon as it began to cook. "So, why are you in this class?"

"Sooner or later I'm going to be living on my own," Victor answered smoothly, chopping up some more garlic to later add to the concoction. "I need to know these kind of things. Do you know when we get back on track with the meat unit? If I go out into the world without knowing how to cook beef I'll die of starvation!"

"Probably tomorrow, if you're lucky," Garfield muttered. "I personally can wait. I'm vegetarian."

"Man, no wonder you're so skinny! Where do you get your protein from?"

"Different vegetables," Garfield answered proudly. "And tofu."

Victor made a face.

"Dude, would you like to meet my friends?"

**XXXXX**

At brunch Garfield came to the tree with a new student in tow. "Hey guys! Vic, this is Richard and Kori and Raven and Jinx. Guys, this is Victor Stone."

Richard and Kori and Raven and Jinx sweatdropped.

"Hi Vic!" Jinx waved.

"Hey…" Victor raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you that girl who almost ran over the instructor in Driver's Ed?"

Jinx's face flushed and she turned her head downward. "Yes," she sulked.

Raven gave Garfield a look that clearly said, "I am questioning your mental stability." Garfield gulped and continued, "Vic's kind of new here and we're in the same cooking class. So, I kind invited him to join us."

"Sure," Richard said quickly. "Come sit with us any time, Victor."

The group, which mostly consisted of sophomores, probably looked pretty young to Victor. Luckily, Victor was an all-around nice guy. "Thanks," he said gratefully, and sat down about three feet away from the tree trunk, facing the others.

The six of them had a nice chat in which the original five learned a bit more about their new addition to the group. Victor's mother had died when he was young. Over the summer he and his dad moved up from Los Angeles to Jump City. He'd taken advanced math classes nearly his entire life, and yes, had built his own car. When Victor left a few minutes early so as to find his first class, Raven promptly began to strangle Garfield. "Why are you suddenly chums with the owner of the car that you killed?"

"Ow! Breathing tube, BREATHING TUBE!"

"I don't know what you're so worried about," Jinx chimed. "He looked nice enough to me." She nudged Raven, earning herself a glower.

Garfield pried Raven's hands off of his throat and gasped for breath. "I haven't told him yet! I just figured that it'd be better to make a _good _first impression, all right?"

Raven sighed hopelessly. "The reason we got you away from the crime scene was to keep you _out _of trouble. The worst way you could pay us back is to get yourself arrested a week later…"

"I'm _not _getting arrested!" Garfield shot back defensively. "I'm not that stupid, and I'm _not _going to get myself in trouble."

"Famous last words," Jinx sang. Kori firmly pushed her over, face down in the grass.

**XXXXX**

At fifth period Richard and Raven met up at Ms. Stiletto's English class. Ms. Stiletto was the kind of teacher that signed desks and wrote elaborate seating charts, so Richard and Raven were nearly on opposite sides of the room.

Richard sat down at his desk just as a folded paper note skidded onto the wooden desktop. He knitted his brow and looked in the direction of where it came from; he saw the familiar face of a blond-haired girl that he'd known since the beginning of the school year. Richard also recognized her as one of the cheerleaders that he'd seen passing out fliers for the dance the other week. He unfolded the note and read:

_Hey there. I've had my eye on u for a while. How u doing?_

Richard blinked and quickly scrawled a reply. _Please leave me alone, _he though wistfully as he discreetly passed the note back.

Kitten's eyes widened in delight as the paper fluttered back to her desk. When she wasn't thinking of older boys, this one right next to her sent her innards aquiver. Richard had good hygiene, sensible taste, great build, and impeccably nice sneakers—what _wasn't _there to like? Kitten opened the note and read:

_Thanks? I'm doing okay._

No sooner had Richard sent the note, another pelted him. Stifling a groan, he opened it:

_That's cool. English is SOOO boring! I hate it lol what do u like 2 do?_

Ms. Stiletto was standing in the front of the room, ranting on and on about something to do with how personal experience could affect your writing. She wasn't even looking at the students to see if they were paying attention—she was in Literature Land, where she could keep talking on and on about whatever she pleased. Richard hastily scrawled a brief reply and returned the note to its sender.

Kitten excitedly tore into the note.

_I like to do karate._

Richard caught the same paper with the side of his face only seconds later.

_U like sports? Wow that's awesome. I'm in 2 cheerleading._

When would this note exchange ever end?

_I could tell._

_Bcuz of how fit n pretty I am? LOL._

_Sure._

_I love 2 cheer. I'm captain of the school squad._

_Cool. I think that we should pay attention to the teacher. She's probably saying something important._

_LOL she's talking to herself anyway._

The conversation continued as such, Richard getting more annoyed and Kitten getting more excited. Finally the bell rang for lunch. "I would like a two-hundred word essay about how Victor Hugo's personal experience played a part in the content of _Les Miserables!" _Ms. Stiletto cried after the leaving students, who were in a hurry so that they could claim that they hadn't heard about the assignment. Richard and Raven were among them and had reached the doorway and a pink-and-blonde thing came barreling after them and latched itself onto Richard's arm.

"Richard!" Kitten crooned, not so subtly pushing Raven out of the way. "I know I should've listened to Stiletto when you said I should've because now I'm supposed to write all about the hugo experience in Less Mizzerubuls and I know nothing about it so I really really need some help! Will you be ever-so-kind as to come over to my MANSION after school and help me with that nasty little essay thingy?"

Richard blinked dazedly. "Uh…s-sure…"

Kitten shrieked with glee and hugged him even closer. "Thank you SOOO much! I can't wait!" She finally let go of Richard's aching limb and flounced off down the hallway.

**XXXXX**

"Man, I never expected calculus to be such a long class!" Victor complained as he came to the lunch table, carrying a tray that was laden with a large steak sandwich. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

Garfield flinched noticeably at Victor's choice of words. "How can you stand to eat that stuff? I mean, it's a _dead body! _Would it be just as natural to run to a cattle ranch and dig into the first cow that keels over?"

Victor rolled his eyes. "It's human nature to be omnivorous," he provided as a response. "Besides, meat is a major source of protein…which is why I grow and you don't."

Kori cringed; obviously Garfield hadn't shared any childhood stories with Victor. "I think that it's great that you both have chosen the diets that suit you," she intervened, "but there is no reason to be at each other's throats because of your differences."

This seemed to put an end to the argument. Satisfied, Kori bit into her falafel and tuna sandwich.

"I couldn't have just said no!"

"You could've tried."

"Look who's coming," Jinx drawled, drawing everyone's attention to the arrival of Richard and Raven.

"Hey guys," Garfield greeted as the two of them sat next to each other. "Whatcha arguing about?"

"A cheerleader just asked me to 'help her with her homework,'" Richard explained. "How am I supposed to say no to that? She was only asking for help…"

"You know that's not what she really wants," said Raven. "Kitten's dumbed herself down in a ludicrous attempt to appeal to boys…"

"Seriously," Jinx interjected. "She was in my English class last year."

"I just wouldn't trust her," Raven concluded. "I don't trust anyone with that little self-respect."

It was quiet for a while.

"Konni is returning home for a week," Kori chirped timidly.

"Who?" Victor asked.

"She's my older sister," Kori explained. "Konni is just about to finish college, but she found the time to come back and help me look after the house and our brother." She smiled a bit. "It'll be nice to be able to see her again after so long. I hope that we get to catch up on what we've done without each other's presence."

**XXXXX**

Richard stood on the front steps of the mansion and looked up. It was a _tall _house…

"Come on in, Richie!" Kitten sang, swinging the door open. Richard was greeted by the sight of a house that was even larger on the inside, with pearly white walls and an elegant winding staircase in the center, leading up to the second floor that was tucked out of sight by the ceiling. "I'll be right back!" Kitten announced. "I need to go upstairs to, uh, get my homework!" She giggled, dropped her backpack (which was chock full of homework) on the floor, and bounded upstairs to spruce up.

Richard awkwardly stood in the middle of the white tiled floor. He shifted his eyes, examining his surroundings. If there was one thing that Kitten could possibly have, it was money—

"Hey. You."

Richard startled and pivoted around on his heel; in front of him stood a fifty some year old man, dressed in a posh grey suit. "…Yes?"

"I'm Kitten's father," the man drawled. "She called to say that she was bringing someone home with her. Didn't say it was a boy, though."

Richard coughed. "Oh? Well…my name's Richard Grayson, Mr. Walker."

Mr. Walker nodded distractedly. "Would you mind having a man-to-man talk? In that room…right this way." He gestured to an ordinary door behind the staircase. Richard swallowed, and nodded, allowing the man to escort him to the door.

Mr. Walker opened the door; it was a dark room, with a small staircase leading down to what probably was a basement of some kind. Richard followed Mr. Walker down the staircase…and stopped short when a small creature suddenly flew at him and hovered in front of his face. Richard instinctively swatted at the creature; it fluttered up into the rafters. He looked up and cringed; above his head was a swarm of grey fuzzy moths, flying about in a wild frenzy of wings. He looked longingly back at the open door before Mr. Walker caught his attention.

"I know that I don't look like a very dangerous man…but I'll have you know that if you do _anything _to hurt my daughter then you will hear from me." Mr. Walker caught Richard's gaze with a stony, cross look. "You hurt her feelings or break her heart, and I'm going to be the one to settle things, understand?"

"Y-yes…!" Richard shook slightly as the man advanced on him…

"RICHARD! What're you doing? Oh no! Daddy, what'd you take him to the moth room for?" Kitten flew down the stairs and latched onto Richard's arm. "Daddy, he's _fine! _We're just _friends! _Honestly!" She hastily dragged Richard back into the lobby and towed him up the staircase. "We need to get started on my _homework _now, don't we?" Kitten fluttered her eyes seductively. Richard groaned. It was going to be a long night…

**XXXXX**

Kori entered the house and thoughtfully locked the door behind her. "Brother! Sister! I'm home!" she called cheerfully, gently placing her backpack on the floor.

The sound of someone descending down the stairs came in response. Down came her sister, with long black hair that fell to her middle back and adorned in a dark purple cropped top with a matching skirt. "Hello, Kori," Konni answered, briefly hugging her younger sister before heading to the door. "I know that I only just got here, but I'm going to be out for a few hours tonight, okay? There's some stuff in the fridge when you want dinner. Love ya, take care of Ryan, okay?" Konni waved daintily, unlocked the door, and left.

Kori blinked. "Where could she possibly be off to?" she wondered aloud.

"She didn't say." Kori turned to see a forlorn-looking Ryan standing on the staircase. Sighing, Kori went into the kitchen to see what her sister had left for the two of them.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey, son!" Mr. Grayson called as the door opened to admit Richard into the house. "How was your study session?"

Richard cringed at the mere mention of it. He and Kitten hadn't gotten anything done; all Kitten did was hit on him mercilessly, and she would always find one way or another to distract them from getting their work done. "It was fine, Dad," Richard responded untruthfully. He looked at his watch; it was nearly six o'clock. He groaned. Now he'd probably have to finish that two hundred-word essay in the morning, when he usually trained in the basement. Richard sullenly dragged his backpack to his room, so he could finish as much of his homework as he could before dinner.

**XXXXX**

"Kori? Kori, get up!"

Kori's eyes snapped open and she saw her sister, already in her bathrobe and slippers, hovering over the bed that Kori lay in. Kori jumped a bit, but quickly regained her composure. "Sister, when did you get home last night?" she demanded. She sat up in the bed, clutching the blankets around herself.

"Oh, just about eleven-thirty. Relax," Konni added hastily on Kori's look, "I just lost track of the time. I'm fine."

"I wish to know why you were away for so long without telling Ryan and I where you were!" Kori hissed.

"I think you're forgetting who the older sister is around here," Konni countered with annoyance. "Ryan's already up and having breakfast. Get your robe on and come downstairs—I've made pancakes." With that Konni turned on her heel and swept out of the room. Growling to herself, Kori reluctantly obliged.

**XXXXX**

"Dude, animals have feelings too," Garfield insisted. He and Victor sat on a bench by the gates of Jump City High. "They're living things! It's not like they _want _to be eaten. They want nice long lives, just like the rest of us!"

"It's only natural that most people eat meat," Victor retaliated. "Humans are the _predators._"

"Hey, maybe I should tell you a little story about a horse—"

"Look, they're at it again," someone droned. The two looked up to see Jinx, Richard, Raven, and Kori approaching. "I thought you two were going to settle your differences," Jinx added, smirking.

"Yeah, when Kori's around," Garfield muttered. He turned to Richard. "So, how was your homework date, Rich?"

"I'll give you all the details as soon as I have you hanging off our tree," Richard uttered.

Garfield giggled uneasily.

Raven smirked from underneath her hood.

Kori hoped that no one would ask about her sister.

"How's your sister, Kori?" Victor decided to ask that very moment.

"She's doing quite fine," Kori lied. "We have quite a bit of 'catching up' to do, however…"

**XXXXX**

"I am handing back your poems from last week," Mrs. Dilettante announced to the fourth period Poetry Workshop class, "and I must say that I am slightly disappointed! It was your first assignment, true, but the lack of feeling in these poems is quite appalling! You must learn to truly _connect _your relationships with other people with the prose, bind them together so that they clearly express what is on your mind…a wise poet once said that you only know that your poem is complete when it feels like the top of your head has been taken off and people can see straight into your mind!" Secretly, Mrs. Dilettante hoped that no one would ask who this poet was, because she herself couldn't recall who.

The students were still trying to process what the eccentric teacher had told them. With every paper that was passed back, there was a miserable groan or sigh in response. Mrs. Dilettante eventually reached Raven and handed her the poem; Raven took notice of the red comment interrupting the prose and read it:

_Raven, if there is anything that you would like to talk about, my classroom is always open._

Raven sighed miserably.

**XXXXX**

Richard tried desperately to avoid eye contact with Kitten in English class the following period, but she wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Thank you SOOOOO much for helping me with that project," Kitten yipped in his ear, trying to attract his attention so that he would look at her. "You were SUCH a big help!"

_Yeah, by the way, we didn't get anything done, _Richard thought irritably. "You're welcome."

"Heeee!"

Richard sighed and looked across the room at Raven. She was deeply absorbed in a book, and unfortunately was therefore unable to exchange annoyed glances, which for some reason would have lifted his mood a bit. Now more than ever, he wanted this period to end so that he could escape the ultimate source of annoyance that was seated right next to him.

**XXXXX**

Fortunately, the school day ended soon afterward. Richard, Raven, Jinx, and Kori walked toward their houses and Kori and Richard dropped off early on, leaving Jinx and Raven to walk the rest of the way. "Mrs. Dilettante is already 'concerned' because of the content of my poem," Raven murmured bitterly as they strolled down the sidewalk. "I didn't notice that I was writing my own ticket to the counselor's office…"

"Oh, Raven, I should have figured," Jinx snorted. It was quiet for a while. "Raven?"

"Yes?"

"My parents are working late tonight."

"Oh."

"So, would you mind if I stopped by at your place for a while?"

Raven blinked a bit; she hadn't brought Jinx to her house in years, so she wondered how Wallace would react if he saw Jinx back after so long. Nevertheless, she politely responded with, "Sure, why not? I'm sure Wallace and Mr. and Mrs. West won't mind at all."

Jinx smiled and they walked the rest of the way without saying much.

Wallace looked up from his application papers on the kitchen table when he heard the door open. "Hey, Raven?" he called. "Do you think you can clean Scath's cage? I'm kind of busy at the moment."

Raven sighed. "Could I clean the cage later, Wallace? I have company."

"Oh? You brought Richard with you?"

"Close," Jinx responded, smirking, "but no cigar."

The sound of Jinx's voice brought Wallace cautiously slinking to the threshold. "Jinx?"

"The one and only," Jinx said with a flourish and a wink.

Wallace raised an eyebrow, but Raven hastily motioned Jinx to follow her up the stairs. Jinx scoped out the hallway; not much had changed since the last time she had been there. There was a light fluttering noise and she felt something perch on her shoulder as she and Raven reached Raven's room. "Hello, Scath," she said, stroking the parrot's onyx plumage. "He's still alive?" she asked Raven.

"No, he's perfectly deceased. That's why he flew up to you and sat on your shoulder," Raven replied sarcastically. She opened the door and the two of them entered her abode.

"Why's that corner white?" Jinx prodded.

"It's my meditation corner."

"What, you still meditate? I was hoping that you would grow out of it."

"My deepest apologies." Raven rolled her eyes.

"No-no-no, that's okay," Jinx said, holding up her hands. "So, why did you keep with it?"

"It helps me relax…"

"Cool. So…can you teach me how?"

**XXXXX**

The phone rang in Richard's room. He sat on his bed, trying to ignore it, because he already had a pretty good idea of who it was…

The answering machine picked up, and he could hear himself reciting the same "I'm-away-from-the-phone" message that he had been using for a few years now.

_"Hi, this is Richard. I can't come to the phone right now, because I'm probably at school, in the basement, at one of my father's shows, or I might have some other weird and obscure reason as an explanation. Whichever reason it is, I'll be back sometime soon, so please leave a message after the beep._

_"…uhh…beeee—" _

The answering machine cut the message off by finally beeping for itself. Richard groaned as he anticipated the mind-grating voice—

_"Heyyy, Ricky! I've been calling OVER and OVER but you haven't seemed to pick up yet! You must be reeeeally busy. Please reply to all of those other messages that I left you! It's getting kind of late, so I'll see you tomorrow at school, mmkay?_

_"Oh! And remember to come to the pep rally in the afternoon! The new cheer squad has a new routine, and I would LOOOVE it if you could see it!_

_"Mmkay, bye now!"_

Beeeep.

Richard couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being stalked somewhat.

**XXXXX**

Kori was relieved to see Konni reclining on the couch in the living room when she got home from school. "Good afternoon, Konni," she greeted setting her book bag down at her feet. "You're staying for dinner tonight?"

Konni rolled her eyes playfully. "_Yes, _Kori, I'm not going anywhere." She ran a set of fingers through her pitch black hair contemplatively, not seeming to notice Kori's eyes on her. "You know, it's a big world out there."

Kori nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Maybe I should take you to see it sometime."

Kori nodded again, though she highly doubted that she would like it if Konni did.

**XXXXX**

"…close your eyes. It's easier to focus your energies if you do. Now clear your mind…concentrate on your breathing…"

Raven and Jinx sat in lotus positions on the floor, facing the white corner in Raven's room. It was silent for a moment, before Jinx opened her eyes and interrupted the quiet.

"How am I supposed to concentrate on my breathing? If I do I start breathing weird."

Raven groaned and her eyelids slid open. "Just keep track of your inhales and exhales."

"Oh…you mean like this?" Jinx closed her eyes again. "Inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale…"

"No," Raven interjected, "absolutely not. That's _extremely _annoying."

"Heh. It wasn't working, anyway…"

"Just pick two or three random words and use them to keep your breathing in time. Sort of like a metronome."

"What, I sit here and start muttering random words? If I just pick words off the top off my head and start saying them over and over and over I'll start to sound like an idi—"

"Azarath-metrion-pinthos."

Jinx blinked. "Say huh?"

"You said that you couldn't think of any real words to say, so I made up some nonsensical words for you," Raven explained.

"Ohhh…so it's 'azarath-metrion-pinthos', eh?" Jinx mused. "Actually, I think that I could grow to like that. It's kind of catchy."

"Good," Raven said, closing her eyes to get settled again. "Now that we've come to an agreement, let's try again, shall we?"

"Okay." Jinx followed suit and took a deep breath. "Azarath-metrion-zinthos…"

Raven's eyes blinked open. "Wait—I thought that it was 'azarath-metrion-pinthos'."

"It was? Well, 'zinthos' sounds better anyway."

"Hmph…all right then…"

The two of them resumed meditation, murmuring their new incantation together:

"Azarath-metrion-zinthos…azarath-metrion-zinthos…"

**XXXXX**

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've had lots of schoolwork…and I shouldn't really be on the computer anyway but my mom tends to be about ten times nicer than my dad. :0)

And yes, there are going to be more "serious" story lines later. Most definitely I am going to write about things that you NEED to know—like the thing about Raven's father—and of course I have to write a good story line for Victor (which I already have some ideas for).

Again, I will try to update as much as possible. Many thanks to the readers who are sticking with me. :0)


	12. Chapter 12

Garfield cruised down the sidewalk on his skateboard on the way to school. _Mmm, _he thought deliciously. _Smells like Friday. _The fall air was chilly, yet fragrant with the scents of fallen leaves and the flower blossoms that remained before they were to disappear with the first swift rains of winter. Garfield had worn a baggy grey sweatshirt to keep warm, and the tails of the bright green scarf trailed behind him as he sped past the slower pedestrian teens.

He was later than usual; the rest of the group was already gathered by the front gate. "Hey guys!" Garfield called, easing his board to the gate to meet his friends.

"…Kind of bundled up, aren't you?" Richard asked bemusedly, acknowledging Garfield's attire.

"Dude, it's cold." Garfield tugged tighter on his scarf for emphasis. "What's with that look on your face, Raven?"

"I'm thinking about what I can do to you with that scarf around your neck."

"…Okay, guys? Keep her AWAY from me."

**XXXXX**

Victor calmly grated a block of cheese over the Caesar salad that he and Garfield were making. The entire class had teamed up with partners, and when the other freshman had seemed to have ostracized Garfield, Victor had willingly invited Garfield to work with him. "Hope you don't mind me asking, Gar," Victor began conversationally, "but don't you have any freshman friends?"

"They went to different schools," Garfield muttered in reply. He didn't seem offended by the inquiry, however. "I was the only one who lived in the Jump City district." He rhythmically mixed and tossed the salad with two wooden spoons.

Victor nodded with understanding. "I totally know how you feel. I have a lot of friends back in L.A. But hey, there are nice people around here."

"Yeah, there are," Garfield said, smiling weakly.

"Though, I can't say I'm too fond of whoever it was that trashed my car last week," Victor joked.

"Hehehehe…I can imagine."

Victor watched curiously as Garfield turned away slightly and suddenly became intensely interested in the salad bowl.

**XXXXX**

There was a pep rally at lunch, Richard remembered. The school staff members herded all of the students into the large gym and onto the bleachers. Richard managed to find and wave over Raven, Jinx, and Kori, and the four of them slipped onto a bench high up on the bleachers so as to keep somewhat away from the "action."

"Looks like someone is waving at you, Richard," Jinx sang, gesturing at someone on the gym floor below them. Richard looked closer and to his horror recognized the figure as Kitten.

"Aargh! It's Kitten!"

"Kitten? Where?" Kori asked, not having seen the often-spoken-of Kitten yet.

"Down there," Raven uttered, pointing.

"_That's _Kitten?" Kori asked amusedly. "She's so…"

"Blonde?" Richard groaned.

"Hey, Ricky!" Kitten squealed, waving madly. Richard slid down in his seat when other students began to look his way. Kori held a fist to her lips in an attempt to stifle her chuckles, while Jinx didn't even bother to restrain herself. Raven just rolled her eyes, and doing so brought the fact that not many people were sitting near them to her attention. A pair of freshmen girls trudged up the bleacher stairs, trying to find a place to sit. One of them pointed to the bench behind Raven and her friends as a suggestion, when Raven heard the other whisper audibly, "No, look who's sitting there…" before gesturing at Raven. The two younger girls noticed that she was watching them and quickly bounded up the rest of the stairs. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Raven pulled her sweatshirt hood over her head and looked down at her shoes.

"Heeey, Jump City High!" Kitten had the microphone and stood on a small podium in front of the cheer squad, color guard, and marching band. Most of the students on the bleachers cheered in response.

"Our first football game is TOTALLY happening tonight! Who's going to be there?"

"We are," chorused a group mostly consisting of freshmen.

"And who's gonna win?"

"THE JUMP CITY WOLVES!" most everyone screamed, excluding Richard, Kori, Jinx, and Raven.

"Wooo!" The cheerleaders waved their pompoms as Kitten waved to the crowd. "JCH, I hereby give you—the Jump City Wolves varsity team!"

Students all around them sprung up from their seats, clapping and cheering wildly as the football team burst through the gym doors in uniform. Kitten gave a supermodel smirk before hand springing backwards off the podium to join her fellow squad members. The marching band struck up a peppy tune, but all that could be heard was the madness of the spirited teenagers in the crowd.

**XXXXX**

The lights were bright, almost blinding, but the cheer squad carried on with their routine like professionals. Tara mentally recited the order of the dance moves until it finally came to the finale where Kitten had to be lifted into the air to smile at her adoring fans. Tara and four other cheerleaders held down their hands for Kitten to step on and expertly lifted her into the air. A pang of fear struck Tara as her legs shook underneath her for a split second, but to her relief they steadied themselves immediately afterwards.

Kitten held her arms and pompoms up in the air, looking beautiful as ever and getting shouts of appreciation from the spectators. The five girls below escorted her back down to the floor. She stood next to Tara and hissed through her grinning teeth, "I felt you wobble when I was up there. It's not like I'm _fat _or anything. Learn to do things right for once!"

"Sorry," Tara whispered back, feeling her face begin to flush with guilt and embarrassment. She felt the urge to look down at her feet, but forced herself to keep standing tall and erect. _Don't ruin the routine more than you already have, _she chided herself firmly. _Just keep smiling and waving those pompoms…_

**XXXXX**

Konni bounded into the foyer with a head of bright pink hair. "Hello, Kori!"

Kori blinked slowly. She had only just gotten home from school that afternoon, and she had to admit that this wasn't what she had been expecting to see when she first got there. "Konni?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to your hair?"

"Oh, it's just a wig," Konni assured her younger sister cheerfully. "Do you remember what we were talking about the other day? You know, about me taking you to see the world." Kori nodded. "Well, I figured that since it's a Friday we should go today. I'm leaving tomorrow, anyway, so we might as well have some good sisterly bonding before it's too late. You don't have any homework, do you?"

Kori shook her head. "No…but what about Ryan? We cannot just leave him alone at night."

"He's in the eighth grade, Kori. He can look after himself. And I've already told him about it—he's pretty psyched! Do you really want me to disappoint him?"

Kori hesitated. "I suppose that I'll come, then. But where exactly is it that we're going?"

"The Soto Nightclub," Konni answered, a flash of excitement and mischief in her eyes. "You can borrow some of my things to wear, but if you even _think _that I'm going to allow you to prance around in one of my belly shirts, you are oh-so-very wrong! No outfits get by me without my approval, okay?"

Kori laughed weakly. "Of course, Konni."

**XXXXX**

A few hours later Konni and Kori stood on the front porch. "You've got my cell number, right Ryan?" Konni asked her younger brother, who stood on the other side of the threshold, holding the door open.

"I _do, _Konni," Ryan said impatiently. "And I have all of the emergency numbers too, _Kori,_" he added swiftly just as Kori opened her mouth to say something.

"Good," Konni said with satisfaction. "I guess that's it, then…just remember that if I come home and find a party, the consequences will be dire."

"Heh. _That's _something that you don't have to worry about," Ryan mumbled.

Kori and Konni slid into Konni's Jaguar. Konni pulled out of the driveway and sped down the road. "Ready for some fun, kid?"

"Yeah," Kori answered, smiling some. She looked out the window; the sky was noir and black, with only the gleaming streetlights and lights ebbing from house windows as their guides. She was wearing a thigh length denim skirt and a modest purple spaghetti-strapped tank top that gave right amount of coverage. The redhead brightened a bit. Maybe she should just settle down a bit and enjoy herself tonight.

"Now, I just want to go over a few rules," Konni continued, yet never taking her eyes off the road. "First of all, you stick by me. Don't get too friendly with any of the creeps there, don't let anyone give you drinks, and if anybody tries to take advantage of you give them the biggest damn bitch slap and call for help. Did you get all that?"

Kori nodded, determined not to let herself get nervous just before they got there.

Finally they arrived at the club. Konni escorted her younger sister through the tall doors and into the nightclub. A sudden wave of heat from the mob of dancing human bodies greeted Kori, and her brown had already started to perspire within the first few steps into the large room. The scene somewhat resembled the school gym at the homecoming dance, but was much more extravagant, decorated with bright neon lights and a floor with phosphorescent colored square tiles that blinked in patterned arrangements. Also, there was a considerable age difference, with most of the partiers being in their older teens and twenties.

"Hey! Blazin' B!" Kori and Konni turned to see a guy around Konni's age rushing to greet them. He was tall, wearing a black and white football jersey and a backwards baseball cap over his bald head. He wrapped an arm around Konni's shoulders and pulled her close, smiling. "Nice to see you back, Blackfire!"

"Blackfire?" Kori mouthed confusedly to her sister. She figured that this was where Konni had been going to over the past few days when she came home late.

"Nickname," Konni mouthed back. "It's great to see you too, Mark," she said to the male beside her. "Have I missed much?"

"Not at all," Mark replied, grinning toothily. He suddenly became aware of Kori's presence and looked her up and down. "Hey, who're you?"

Kori held up a hand in salutation. "I'm Kori, Konni's sister."

"Well, there's always room for one more, Kori! Care to join your sister and my friends and I? We're dancing right over there." Mark gesticulated vaguely in the direction of a far corner to their right.

"That sounds delightful, thank you," Kori accepted, testing the suavity in her own voice. She and Konni followed Mark to the corner where they met a group of two other college boys wearing similar attire to Mark's.

"Hey Blackfire! 'S that your sister?"

"How you doin', Blackfire?"

The salutations were cut off by a new song sounding from the back of the room where the speakers and deejay were. The three boys and Konni started dancing like experts, and Kori quickly caught on, copying their dance moves but modifying them a bit for modesty's sake.

**XXXXX**

Raven trudged into the kitchen with a glass of iced tea in hand. She wore a loose fitting grey tank top and a pair of Emily the Strange sweats because they felt appropriate for when she was trying to relax. Curiosity got to her when she caught sight of Wallace hunched over the kitchen table, completing his application form. "How's it going, Wally?" Raven asked kindly, sidling up to her adoptive brother and peering over his shoulder.

"I'm just trying to make sure that I've got everything," Wallace muttered. He put and elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, sifting through his red hair with his fingers.

Raven pulled up the chair next to him and set down her drink. "What have you written down so far?" she asked, picking up the day's newspaper.

"For my extra cirriculars, you mean? I wrote soccer, drama, marching band, Poetry Workshop…yeah, that's about it."

Raven looked up slowly. "What about cross country? You've been running since you were eleven and have five trophies and at least thirty blue ribbons in your room. You were always the fastest runner in school."

Wallace drummed his pen against the wood tabletop. "Oh! I've forgotten all about that." He began to write it down.

"…You're saying that you're applying for your fourth college and you've never thought to write that you've been a star runner for nearly half your life until now?"

"Well, if you're going to put it _that _way, I guess so."

"You're an idiot," Raven said, rolling up the newspaper and bopping Wallace over the head with it.

**XXXXX**

Kori leaned against the bar counter and took tender sips from her Coke. So far the nightclub experience had been both interesting and tiring; she had danced with Konni and her friends, seen couples make out along the walls, and even been advanced upon by a few guys, but Konni had been good at driving them off thus far. Now Konni had gone into the washroom as had Mark and one of his friends to the men's room, and she was left alone with the last male to watch over her.

"So what grade are you in?" the guy asked, striking up conversation.

"I'm in grade ten," Kori replied, setting her soda on the counter.

"That's cool," he said. "By the way, my name's Jason. So, you like it around here?"

"It's…quite nice," Kori answered hesitantly.

"Wanna dance?"

Jason's words took her slightly by surprise. "Errh…of course, why not?" she said finally. The two of them stepped out further towards the dance floor and Jason took the lead, sticking his chest out and moving fluidly. Kori faced him and followed suit, face flushing a bit when he stepped up closer to her. "You've got some nice moves there," he whispered huskily, and before she knew it he began to circle her slowly. Jason slipped behind her; he was so close Kori could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. Suddenly she felt his ten fingers at her sides, trickling down further until they reached…

"No," Kori said suddenly. She jerked away, feeling afraid but also slightly embarrassed by how rude she must have seemed. "I'm sorry, but I must go find my sister." She tore through the crowd, feeling the beginnings of tears starting to well up in her eyes, until she caught sight of the restrooms. She was just in time to see Konni (or "Blackfire") slip out through the bathroom door.

Konni smiled when she saw Kori. "Hey, sis. How's—" Suddenly she noticed the pearly tears beginning to spill forth from Kori's green eyes. "What…?"

"Konni, may we please go home?" Kori choked. Stunned, Konni wrapped her arms around her younger sister and pulled her to her chest, trying her best at comfort.

"Shh…yeah, let's go."

**XXXXX**

A/N: Heh. I know Blackfire isn't portrayed as completely and utterly evil in this story, but I dunno…I sort of wanted to try this side of her. Anyway, tell me what you guys think.


	13. Chapter 13

A few weeks came and went, and September drifted into October. The amounts of golden fallen leaves on the streets were prosperous. Richard and Raven trudged through the quad, leaves crunching underfoot and entered the school building to make it in time for first period. "We have history every single morning," Raven droned irritably as she and her friend squeezed through the hustle and bustle of the students coming from the opposite direction. "Why can't we have a block schedule, like how they do at _normal _high schools? I have to spend forty-five minutes of every day with Rorek taking jabs at my last name. 'Conte' is synonymous with 'story', but you don't see me saying anything about it." For some reason Raven said the last part louder than everything else, as if wanting the other people around them to take notice of what she was saying.

Richard nodded numbly in agreement to whatever Raven was complaining about at the moment. A block schedule actually seemed like the right idea there; seeing Kitten only every other school day sounded like a done deal. He groaned, knowing that the chances of that happening were very slim. He would have to tell the cheerleader off somehow, and certainly sometime soon.

Surprisingly, Rorek lay off his usual jeering that period. That didn't stop the uneasy and distasteful looks from being sent Raven's way behind Lenard's back. The teenaged girl ignored them, not wanting to satisfy the other students with any kind of reaction, but it felt as if her own insides were writhing with the discomfort she was experiencing.

**XXXXX**

"…and that's when Mr. Doyen said that my painting was inexpressive and lacked substance. I slaved over that project for days; it's appalling how someone like him even bothered to become an art teacher!"

Jinx chuckled, dipping the fat paintbrush in her hand into a small vat of purple paint. She was in art class, seated on a wooden stool before an easel. The room was situated so that the students sat in a large circle, so that Mr. Doyen could navigate through easily to observe the pupils as they worked. Next to the pink-haired girl sat Mammoth, a boy her age who was nicknamed for his tall stature and was the one complaining about the teacher quietly so as not to be overheard. "Well, so far you've made three creations and Doyen here hasn't approved of any of them," Jinx mused. "I propose that we teach him a little lesson on appreciation." She indicated the paint-covered brush she held, as a bulbous purple pearl slowly dripped down the bristle tips. Mr. Doyen now had his back turned, perfectly vulnerable.

Now it was Mammoth's turn to snicker. "You've already gotten a detention, haven't you? Sure you haven't had enough yet?"

"You wound me, Mammoth. Are you suggesting that you condemn my malicious ways?" Jinx pretended to pout.

Mammoth smirked. "Go for it."

Jinx gave her unfinished painting one last glance. _So sorry, my dear masterpiece. But I fight for a good cause! _She submerged the brush one last time into the brightly-colored swill, loading it with the amount of ammunition she needed. As Mr. Doyen unsuspectingly conversed critically with one of the students across the room, Jinx aimed carefully with her weapon, and fired.

With a celebratory _splat, _Mr. Doyen suddenly found himself donning a large drippy purple spot on the top of his head.

"**Miss Diablo! I will see you in detention!**"

**XXXXX**

It was break. Raven was at her locker, putting her books away, when a sudden vibration in her jeans pocket caught her attention. Setting down the last notebook, she withdrew her cell phone and flipped it open. She'd received a text message from Jinx.

_Wont make it 4 break, dearie. Dtention. Plz tell the others. _:p

_Jinx_

It was just logical to assume that Jinx would boast about getting detention for the second time that year. _If only she knew how many times Rorek has gotten detention slips, _Raven thought. _She would be instantly put to shame. _Then again, Jinx could hardly be considered a "bad girl"; Raven had known kids who got more detentions back in middle school.

The hallway was almost empty. Raven began to trudge to the door that led outside when it suddenly opened before she could reach it. Before her stood a lanky sophomore boy. "Excuse me," she muttered, but the boy didn't let her pass. Instead he closed the door behind him and crossed his arms.

"You're Raven Roth, aren't you?" he asked coldly.

A knot formed in her stomach. "What's it to you?" she bit back, trying to conceal her fear.

"I'm Terrence Mills," the boy now known as Terrence replied. "You may have heard of my uncle, Andrew Mills."

"I may have." Raven tried to edge around Terrence but he blocked her way again.

"Your father murdered my uncle," he spat, his eyes burning with hatred. "Your father murdered my uncle and you knew what was happening all along!"

"I did not!" Raven protested, but a fist came flying and collided with her stomach. With the wind knocked out of her, she dropped her book bag and keeled over to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Don't give me that shit!" Terrence barked, grabbing her fallen bag and hurling it down at her. "You knew what he was doing all along and you wouldn't do anything about it!"

"I was eleven years old!" Raven choked, only to be silenced by a sloppy kick flying over her head.

"And I'll bet you even enjoyed it!" Terrence raved, beginnings of hot angry tears welling in his eyes. "Your father was a psycho and you must be a psycho too! That kind of thing's hereditary!

"If I ever see your face again, you're going to be in real trouble!" Terrence swore, pointing down at her. He burned through Raven's eyes with one last look of loathing, and fled through the doors and into the outside world.

Raven shakily sat up until she was kneeling on the cold tile floor. Through the glass windows on the doors, she could see sunlight ebbing into the cold building. She wished that she were out there, with Richard and Kori and Garfield and Victor, instead of having just collapsed and spoken to like a murderer. If she had just gotten out of the building one minute quicker, none of what had just happened would have happened.

"I didn't know," she mouthed, looking down at her hands. With a shuddering breath, she hastily gathered her things and slinked out the doors.

**XXXXX**

"I've had it," Richard declared suddenly.

Kori, Garfield, and Victor looked at him weirdly.

"Uh, had what, dude?" Garfield questioned.

"I've had _enough _of Kitten," Richard clarified, jabbing a thumb at Kitten, sitting among a large group of popular students inhabiting a nearby picnic bench, who batted her eyes feverishly at him. "Do you have any _idea _of what it's like to be stalked? I'm going to go over there and knock some sense into that blond little head of hers."

"Yeah, well, come back alive," Victor said.

"Yes, do come back in one piece," Kori added hesitantly as Richard stood up and crossed the grass to where Kitten stood.

The conversation that followed could be heard throughout the entire school.

"**WHAT? ROBBIE, HOW COULD YOUUUU?**"

"Kitten, what're you—"

"**AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH! YOU'RE GONNA BREAK ME OFF JUST LIKE THAT?**"

"Please, don't make a scene--!"

"**WAAAAH!**"

"Hey!" said a brawny male voice. "What did you do to Kitten?"

"I didn't do anything! I was just—"

"Why I oughta--!"

"AAAAUUGH!"

"Wow," Garfield drawled. "He's so confused he's forgotten that he knows karate."

"Ow," Victor winced. "I'd _hate _to be him right now."

Kori had her hands placed firmly over her eyes. She peered through her fingers. "Oh, please be all right!"

Moments later Richard returned; he walked with a slight limp and his hair was badly disheveled. "Hehe…I sure told her, didn't I guys?"

His three friends stared in disbelief.

**XXXXX**

A/N: Heh, can't you just imagine Mammoth being an artist:D No idea where I got that from, but it's fun to envision. I've got images of him wearing a smock and a beret as I type.


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